


How to Love Thy Neighbour

by WhatSoMalfoy



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: A little mystery, Domestic Fluff, Draco Malfoy in the Muggle World, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Drama, Fluff, Good Draco Malfoy, Happy Ending, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:30:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 41,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25020139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatSoMalfoy/pseuds/WhatSoMalfoy
Summary: After her relationship with Ron falls apart, Hermione attempts to juggle a personal muggle life with a professional wizarding one. After encountering her high school nemesis in the most unlikely place, Hermione adds another ball to the juggling mix.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 108
Kudos: 165





	1. A Fresh Start

**Author's Note:**

> Due to recent events, I am choosing to throw up a disclaimer. I thought that after all these years of Harry Potter fanfiction & the original author's approval of the situation, we could avoid it. Alas, I am being careful and telling you (in case you didn't already know) that the world I am writing in belongs to JKR, as do these characters. I am just using them as I see fit. If you happen to disagree with how I write my story & the characters here within, I encourage you to seek another fic and/ or write you own! Happy hunting!

"Are you sure you don't want me to come in with you?" Ginny asked for the tenth time.

"Yes, Ginny. I am sure that a potential new flat mate would find it strange to be interviewing both me and you for the bedroom space," Hermione responded. "Just keep an eye out for any police officers. I don't particularly like the idea of you encountering a muggle law officer without me present, so if you see one, _confund_ him, but please Gin, do it subtly!"

Ginny rolled her eyes. As if she would _confund_ a law officer in any way other than "subtly". "Good luck," she said instead and opened the latest edition of Witch Weekly to pass the time while she waited for Hermione.

Hermione looked up and down the quiet Westminster street before crossing the road and ringing the doorbell to apartment 2a. She retreated down two steps to inspect the front of the property whilst waiting admission. The converted town house fit in perfectly with the others along the street; small fenced off greenery in front of a white building with a black gloss door. Hermione smiled to herself thinking that this was _exactly_ the fresh start she needed. Quiet little road in a busy London town, not too far from the correct tube line to get her to Ministry every day. The black door opened and a pretty woman approximately in her mid twenties appeared in the space between the entry hall and the terrace.

"Hi babe, I'm Andy. So nice to meet you, would you like to come inside?" This all came out in such a strong London accent, that Hermione had to repeat it in her head once over to remember the woman's name.

"Oh hi, yes. Andy. So nice to meet you, too. Hermione," she introduced herself, holding out her hand to shake as she moved into the entry way of the town house. Hermione glanced around the foyer before following Andy up the stair case and noted the polished concrete flooring and staircase along with the crisp white walls and the classy indoor plants.

"Unfortunately, this grand old place has no elevator system, so we have to take the stairs. It's usually not an issue, but when you're moving furniture in, it can be a hassle. Luckily, we're only on the second floor, so with a little help, it shouldn't be too difficult to get you settled in." Andy reached the door to the apartment and held it open for Hermione to step inside.

A welcoming open plan living, kitchen and dining area greeted Hermione with a fire place taking up centre stage in the living room. There was no television in sight and Hermione was already in love with the place. "So, this is the common area," Andy started, waving her hands around to indicate the dark wooden floors and modern country decor. "My bedroom and bathroom are through to the left of the living area and yours, provided you can pay the rent and are not a serial killer, are through this door here," Andy grinned and pointed to the right of where Hermione stood. "Go on, take a sqiuz," Andy insisted. "I'll pop the kettle on. Do you take tea or coffee?"

"Tea, please," Hermione smiled and opened the door to her potential bedroom. _Lovely_ , she thought. The dark wooden floors continued into the bedroom space with eggshell blue walls. The room, while not large, did have a small walk in closet. Hermione made a mental note that she would not need to bring the wardrobe, only the dresser, bed, her favourite reading chair and of course a large bookcase. Her non essential books and the ones that could not pass for muggle books would have to be concealed with an undetectable extension charm. After some very quick measurements made with her wand, Hermione continued through to the ensuite bathroom and was intensely happy to see that there was a clawfoot tub wedged into a space with a shower head hovering on the wall next to it. Whilst a shower was the most convenient, a nice bath did wonders to get the brain juices flowing or simply to unwind from a stressful day in the _Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures_. Next to the bath was a simple vanity and toilet. Completely satisfied that this apartment was exactly what she wanted to begin building her life anew, Hermione exited the bedroom to find Andy perched on the light blue love seat with a pot of tea and two teacups on the coffee table in front of her.

"Andy, the room is just lovely and I cannot get enough of this living area. While the kitchen seems perfectly adequate, I am afraid that if I were to move in, you would not be getting a chef as a flat mate, so I hope that is not a prerequisite," Hermione smiled.

"Actually, that is a little bit perfect," Andy was pouring the tea and offering Hermione milk and sugar.

"Just a touch of milk, thank you." Hermione told her. "How is that perfect?"

"I really hate people cooking in my kitchen," Andy laughed. "I have trouble even letting others do so much as chop the vegetables!"

Hermione sat down opposite Andy on a wing backed chair, took a sip of her tea and grinned. "Well. That does sound perfect!"

"Ok, Hermione. Let's get down to business." Hermione stopped grinning as Andy's face lost all animation. "How old are you?"

"Twenty three"

"Where do you work?"

"I have a Government job"

"Ok, good. I assume that means that you can pay the rent. Are you a serial killer?"

Hermione gave a chuckle and replied "Certainly not!" Though, this was strictly true, she had no intention of informing Andy that she was in fact, some sort of killer. Harry had tried to press upon her that people dying in a war did not qualify her as a killer, even if it were by her hand. That a war was what they had all signed up for and people died as a result. We could feel the loss, mourn the loss but we could not lay blame for the loss on ourselves or others, no matter how much we wanted to. This of course, was easier said than done and years later, Hermione still felt the pang of death all around her. Of those she had lost and of those she had taken.

"Ok, then I have one more question."

"Shoot!"

"Why are you looking to move in here with me?"

Hermione sighed and finished her tea. "I just went through a particularly difficult break up. He, Ron, my ex," she struggled to keep the tears in check, "well, we had different priorities in life and after a few years of ignoring this, I couldn't take it any longer. We had to end it before we made some mistakes that could have devastating effect and oh, I'm sorry, I'm blubbering all over the place like an idiot."

Andy handed her a box of tissues and said "when would you like to move in?"

The next day Ron had been mysteriously absent from the house when Hermione had come to pack and collect her things. She thanked Ginny for the intervention when she arrived with Harry and George, the car and small moving trailer. Hermione took one last lap of the house, said a silent goodbye to Ron and left the glittering diamond ring on the dining table, touching it one last time and had then left the house forever, locking the door behind her and pushing the key through the gap at the bottom.

Hermione, Harry, Ginny and George were pretending to struggle with Hermione's furniture up the flight of stairs to the new apartment. The _feather light_ charm that Hermione had hit all of her belongings with created a much easier time of moving than what they could let the muggles believe and lovingly shooed Andy away when she offered to help. "Why the need to move to Muggle London, Hermione?" Harry had asked a few days ago when Hermione had made her decision. "We wouldn't need to go through the act of moving all this stuff if you were to live in the Wizarding section of London"

"I need a fresh start, Harry. I want to remember what it's like to be a muggle, to do things the muggle way. I am done with the life we have of autographs, photos and constant concern that someone will report that I so much as scratched my leg on the weekend. I want _escape_. I want a little bit of normal again." No one had questioned her on the subject again.

Once her belongings were all situated in the vicinity of her bedroom, she bid goodbye to George and the Potters with a kiss on each of their cheeks and a hug of thanks. "I'll see you at work on Monday, Harry. Ginny, George, thanks again for all of your help today with the heavy things. I promise to be in touch soon."

"Hermione?" Ginny paused at the doorway. "Would you mind getting in touch with Mum? I'm afraid she's not taking Ron's word for all of this very well. It'd be a help if you could have a cuppa together and discuss it further. She misses you."

"Oh Ginny, I miss her too, but I need to settle in first. I'll try to gather my courage and get over to see Molly and Arthur as soon as I can. I promise. You can tell her that for me. Send her my love."

Some time later, Hermione had set up her bathroom, made her bed and was busily prioritising her books over her clothing when Andy knocked on her door. "Hey babe, how goes the unpacking?" Hermione slid another book onto the shelf and turned to the doorway where Andy stood.

"Good, I think. Just making sure that I get the important parts done first," she smiled, indicating the books and their shelving unit.

"Bit of a book worm are you?"

"Oh, some may say that," Hermione confirmed with a grin.

"Well, I hope you don't mind, but I have some of what I consider to be excellent break up advice to offer you. How long were you and your ex together?"

"Oh, umm. We were what I guess you could call 'high school sweethearts'. I'd loved him for a couple of years before we got together around graduation and we'd been together since. So, together for about five years or so and engaged for nearly one of those years." Hermione shrugged it off as if this wasn't a big deal while her insides were experiencing a hurricane of emotion. "What is this advice you have for me?" To hide her face from Andy, Hermione retrieved another two books and arranged them on the shelf.

"Well, that sounds positively shitty. I've never managed to keep a man around for that long, so I can't be sure that this will help, but it has been my experience that a trip to the hair salon can well and truly help one feel like a whole new person and I happen to have an appointment at my favourite place in an hour. Shall I see if they have another seat free at the same time? I promise that even just a wash and cut can help you feel better. Plus, it will be a nice way to get to know each other before drinks out tonight?" Andy added the last little bit hastily and hopefully.

Hermione puffed out a laugh. "It's a yes for the salon and a maybe for the drinks. It's been a long day already and I'm not really a very big drinker. I would like to get to know you better, though."

"I'll make the call to the salon and let you know how it goes. We can continue to discuss drinks after that," Andy grinned and left the room to phone her hair stylist.

Exactly one hour later, Hermione was sitting next to Andy in a stylish hair salon, trying to figure out exactly what she was doing there. This was not her normal coping mechanism. This was not her normal anything to be perfectly honest. Whenever she needed to reign her hair in, she used a potion or a charm, not a muggle salon. Yet, there she was with a woman buzzing around her showing her magazines with examples of the latest styles and colours. This was overwhelming. Meanwhile, Andy was in deep discussion with her stylist. "I think that I want you to chop it all off. Give me a pixie cut!"

"You _think_ you want to chop it all off or you _know_ you want to chop it all off?" Hermione inquired, trying not to sound as horrified as she felt. Andy had silky long blonde hair that perfectly framed her petit face.

"Well, what I didn't tell you was that I also went through a break up recently. This appointment was my advice to myself as well as to you. We're bonding, you and I. I want to erase him from my life. He loved my hair, so the hair has to go. Yes, Susan. Chop it off," she gave a firm nod to her stylist.

"Well. I'm sorry to hear about that, Andy, but I am definitely not as brave as you. I think I'll just have a trim," Hermione directed to her stylist.

"Are you sure I can't convince you with some blonde highlights?" The stylist suggested with a touch too much sugar in her voice.

"Er, no. I don't think so. Thank you, though," Hermione replied.

Two hours later, Hermione walked out of the salon with Andy, some new blonde highlights and a plan for the evening to get some drinks. The two women stopped by a convenience store, bought some dinner and a six pack of some strange vodka and fruit drink before heading home to get ready for their evening. After a drink and some pasta, Andy had left Hermione to her own devices whilst she showered and dressed for a night on the town. Hermione shut her bedroom door behind her and _Accio'd_ her clothes from the boxes, spread the best clubbing candidates over her bed and took to the shower herself. When she emerged, she found Andy wrapped in a towel, examining the clothing laid upon the bed.

"Do you have anything that is a little less, er, business like?" Hermione blushed furiously, she would never wear a skirt that short to work. It came two inches above her knees for Merlin's sake! Andy took her blush as the correct answer of 'no' and ushered Hermione into her bedroom to select from her clothing.

"Andy, nothing you have will fit me. I'm two feet taller than you. A dress on you will be a shirt on me!" Hermione protested as Andy threw a few items at her. "Out! Try those on! Especially the blue! Let's meet in half an hour in the living room and be ready to go, agreed?"

Hermione left Andy's room mumbling under her breath. Once in the safety of her bathroom, Hermione cast a glamour charm on her face and used another to straighten the kinks that had already appeared in her hair since she left the salon. Happy with the results, she left the bathroom to ponder the issue of what to wear. She picked up Andy's blue dress and held it up in front of her. It was a simple, royal blue singlet dress and boy was it tight and short. Hermione looked at herself in the mirror and tried to pull the dress down whilst trying to pluck the fabric off of her skin. Both were unsuccessful. One small slip and no one would be questioning what she'd had for breakfast. A small altering charm to slightly lengthen the dress to mid thigh was all she had time for before Andy knocked on her door. Once her wand was safely concealed on her body, Hermione opened the door for Andy, stepped into a pair of heels and caught a clutch bag off of her bed. Andy let out a low wolf whistle and handed Hermione the last of the sweet vodka concoctions.

Taking a swig of her own bottle, Andy said "Huh. I didn't think that dress would be so long on you. That's about where it sits on me. Weird. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Standing in line at a hopping club, Hermione started to feel the little vodka buzz wear off, but even considering this, she realised that she was having a good time with Andy and that they were bonding successfully. Hermione had never actually been to a club, muggle or otherwise. She had never found the time for it, nor had she had the inclination to be caught inebriated or compromised in any way by any members of _the Prophet_ , specifically Rita Skeeter. So, as anxious as she was feeling, she was equally as excited to get into that club and try to let off a little steam. She was twenty three years old, a young woman who had yet to experience much of life beyond the immediate and the things that had tied her down. Was Ron one of those things? She wondered to herself as she stepped into the pulsing lights and pounding music. Andy had gone to get them drinks and left Hermione to observe the grinding of the dancers from the balcony above.

Drinks in hand, Andy returned to Hermione and strongly suggested that they should join the dancers down below. Apprehensive, Hermione agreed to be pulled along. She was not sure how much time had passed, how much vodka she had consumed or how badly she was dancing, but what she did know was that she was sweaty, laughing and having a great time on that dance floor. She was really getting in the spirit of the evening when Andy told her that there was a "gorgeous specimen of a man staring at her" Hermione turned to look at this so called gorgeous specimen, but Andy quickly pulled her attention back telling her that she couldn't let the guy know that he'd been noticed. Especially not when he was heading this way.

"Just go with it, have some fun. Dance with him, let him buy you a drink," Andy had shouted to her, before melting away into the crowd. Nervous as hell, Hermione continued to dance, seriously feeling the absence of a partner. Ten seconds later, there was a large hand on each of her hips and a warm chest at her back. Feeling bold from both the affects of the vodka and Andy's words of encouragement, Hermione drew a deep breath, pushed it out and continued to sway her hips in time with the music and the body behind her. A face beside her own, a stranger's lips next to her ear, Hermione fought to be brave, to be the one in control of this situation. A strong, independent woman. No one would be doing anything to her tonight that she did not wish to participate in. Emboldened, she continued to dance suggestively against the crotch of the man behind her.

"My, my, Granger. What a _saucy little minx_ you've become," a deep drawl sounded in her ear. All sense of self esteem, boldness and sexuality abandoned her as she spun to stare into the face of Draco Malfoy.


	2. What a Day

Books » Harry Potter » **How To Love Thy Neighbour**  
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| Author: whatsomalfoy |  1\. A Fresh Start 2\. What a Day 3\. Research Fix 4\. Living in a Fantasy World 5\. A Change of Pace 6\. Everybody Needs Good Neighbours 7\. Going Out on Our Very First Date 8\. Die Another Day 9\. When I Get That Feeling 10\. Auld Lang Syne 11\. Love The Way You Lie 12\. If We're Honest 13\. Confessions   
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| Rated: M - English - Romance/Drama - Reviews: 39 - Published: 11-02-18 - Updated: 03-23-20 | id:13110484  
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Monday morning at work was truly turning out to be a disaster. Hermione had spent the whole of Sunday in bed refusing to budge. Partly because she was hung over as all heck and partly because she refused to be conscious enough to remember any details of the previous evening after her, umm, encounter.

She was not so lucky come the start of the working week. Her body, unused to such long times of inactivity, did not allow her to send word that she would not be at work. She simply had nothing else to do and found herself needing to be occupied, to focus on something, anything other than Draco Malfoy. Going to work and tending to the growing pile in her in-box would provide a way in which to occupy her mind and her hands and to keep all thoughts off of Saturday night. That was her plan. She did not succeed.

Upon arriving at her desk, she emptied her inbox and began to start compiling them into an order of urgency. Less than half way through, her hips had warmed as she remembered his hands resting there. Hermione had nearly jumped from her seat, thinking that he was right behind her. She took a steep, steadying breath and continued with her task. Once all documents were in an order she found acceptable, she reached for the file she had marked as priority one. She flipped it open and felt warm lips across her ears and moist breath against her face. This wouldn't do. She rose from her desk to go and fix herself a strong cup of tea.

On the way back from the level four kitchenette, someone rushed by her, brushing her back as he passed. Hermione threw herself against the wall, recalling the feel of someone else's body pressed against her back. In her haste, she also spilled her hot tea all down the front of her white blouse. A deep sigh, a cooling and a siphoning charm later, she was back at her desk, minus stains on her top and her deeply needed restorative cup of tea. Placing her head in her hands, Hermione decided that it was possible that if she let herself remember and dwell on it for a little while, maybe she could get it out of her head and leave it in the past which is where it needed to stay.

_"My, my, Granger. What a saucy little minx you've become,"_

_Hermione had spun so fast, she nearly lost her balance. Regaining her composure, she reached for her concealed wand, intending to thrust it beneath his chin and hex him to the other side of the room. Before she could do any such thing, he grabbed for her wrists and pulled them to his chest, continuing to sway to the music in some sick imitation of a romantic dance together._

_"Now, now, Granger. You can hardly pull your wand on me here. We're surrounded by muggles for Merlin's sake. We_ couldn't possibly _risk your job at the Ministry, or worse, exposing all these poor muggles to the real world, could we? Just dance with me. Let's catch up on old times, hmm?"_

_Hermione had scoffed in his face, but continued with the dancing charade - for appearances sake, of course. "What in the Department of Mysteries are you doing here, Malfoy? And who says I need my wand in order to get rid of you?"_

_He pulled his famous smirk on her as she continued her rage on him. "As you have so_ charmingly _pointed out, Malfoy, this is a place of muggle music and dance. Hardly somewhere you would associate yourself with and surely no place you would_ lower yourself _to be seen in!"_

_"Right you are, Granger. I had_ no intention _of being seen here," he placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned into her, lowering his voice to say directly in her ear, making her skin rise with goose flesh "but then I saw you and I couldn't_ un-see _you." He stepped away from her then, leaving her gobsmacked and melted back into the throng of dancing people._

_Andy had suddenly appeared next to her then and began hammering her with questions. The look on Hermione's face must have given off some sort of warning because Andy then announced that it felt like it was time to go home._

Hermione soon discovered that thinking about and dwelling on this particular memory, did not help her place it in a box and wrap it up nice and tight, ready to put at the back of the closet and forget about for the rest of eternity. In fact, it raised bigger questions in her mind and forced her to think about the insinuations that Malfoy had made. She wanted her biggest question to be, thought the biggest question to be, _needed_ the biggest question to be "why was Malfoy in a muggle club, not wanting to be seen?" but instead, the biggest, most pressing and resounding question in her head was "why did his hands on me feel so good?" closely followed by "what did he mean by ' _he couldn't un-see me_ '?"

It was useless, no matter how hard she tried, she simply could not devote her full attention to her work and while a half focused Hermione Granger was still enough to get the job done, she did not feel comfortable submitting what she considered to be inadequate work. Giving the day up as a bad job, Hermione plastered an 'Out of Office' notice on her door, sent a flying memo to her department head feigning a migraine and left the Ministry for the day.

Instead of taking the muggle approved exit to go home, Hermione floo'd somewhere she considered one of her safest places to hide. "Potter Residence," she directed as she threw the powder on the floor of the fireplace. She emerged into the living room of Harry and Ginny's house, stalked directly to the kitchen and fixed herself that cup of tea she'd never had the chance to drink, found her self a good book and curled up on squishy, welcoming couch to await Ginny's return from Quidditch practice.

Two hours later, Ginny appeared in the green flames, dusting off her Holyhead Harpies uniform. She took a startled step back when she saw Hermione sitting on the couch. Hand on her heart, Ginny strode to the closet, hung her robes and lovingly placed her broom in it's holder before joining Hermione on the other end of the sofa. "What's happened?"

"I'm not really sure," Hermione confessed and launched into the story that was Saturday night, the one that had been haunting her ever since.

"What fresh hell _is this_?" Ginny demanded. "I actually have no idea where to start! Is it with your behaviour, with _his_ behaviour, with the situation in general?" Ginny, who had sat through the telling with nothing but silence and a blank expression, was practically shrieking now.

" _My behaviour?_ " Hermione squeaked, shocked at the anger in Ginny's voice. "What did I do?"

"What did you do? _What did you do?_ Hermione, you were with my brother for five years, you agreed to _marry_ my brother and then you broke his heart. You may be my best friend Hermione, but Ron is my _brother._ I know, _I know_ that you had to go your separate ways and I agree that in the long run, it is for the best. That doesn't mean that there isn't any pain. Not just for you and Ron, but for us a family. You've always been there, like Harry, already accepted as part of our Weasley clan and we are mourning the loss of you. While you're out grinding your ass against a strangers crotch, never mind who that stranger turned out to be!"

Ginny had been fighting valiantly to keep her famous temper in line while she pelted Hermione with every word of the truth that she hadn't even considered. When Ginny looked at Hermione's face and saw the tears, saw that Hermione was processing this information, accepting it and not fighting back, she moved in to give her best friend a hug. "I'm sorry, 'Mione, I had to let the anger out. I'm not sure I can possibly understand all that you're feeling right now, but I want to give it a try."

"No, you're right, Gin. I have been irresponsible and I have acted like a terrible person. I was being completely selfish and I'm sorry. So, _so_ sorry. I should go."

"Hermione, no wait. Stay. I've said my part as a sister, now I want to say my part as a best friend. Stay. Let's chat and I'll whisk up a batch of cookies. Harry won't be home for hours and he doesn't need to hear a word of this if you don't want him to."

Hermione plastered a watery smile on her face and said, "only if they're choc chip cookies."

Ginny acted offended "What? Like I'd make anything but the best for you?" The two women chuckled together and headed for the kitchen.

While Ginny found the ingredients she wanted, Hermione took a seat at the dining table, waiting for Ginny's next piece of advice or her possible wrath. With a wave of her wand, Ginny had the correct measurements mixing themselves together and when the cookies were spooning themselves in perfect little balls on to the baking tray, she pulled up a chair, put her chin in her hands and stared across the table at Hermione. "So, you danced with Draco Malfoy. How was it?"

"Ginny!" Hermione spat out the sip she had just taken of her fresh tea.

" _What,_ Hermione? He may be an asshole, but _Merlin_ , is he a babe. Also, there were always plenty of rumours flying around Hogwarts about his er, _prowess_ , I guess you could call it. Surely you heard them too? Also, Harry says he has really come around since the war. I don't think you'd ever find them sharing a joke, but there seems to be a certain mutual respect there now."

Hermione had turned beet bloody red from her hair line to her collarbone, this was not unnoticed by Ginny who just raised her eyebrows, patiently waiting for an answer. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Hermione prayed that she would not stammer through her next few sentences. "Yes, Gin, I also heard those rumours, but you don't honestly believe that he got that many of the Slytherin girls into one bathroom, do you? Seriously, that sounds _extremely uncomfortable_!"

Ginny grinned. She was really enjoying playing this game with Hermione. "I don't think I've heard that one. Why don't you recall it for me?"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake. He was a very talented dancer. I was getting very lost in the feel of him until he spoke, broke the spell and made my skin crawl."

"Oh, made your skin crawl, did he? See, that's not what I heard in your voice. Nor what I saw on your face when you told me. All. About. It. Sounds to me like he set your skin on fire," Ginny shrugged. "So why don't you tell me how you really feel?"

"Confused, Ginny. I feel _confused_. Because it was hot. I was actually enjoying the feel of him, even after the shock of realising it was him. The way he held me. The way he made it seem like he was whispering in my ear, even while the music pounded all around us. The way he said that he couldn't _un-see_ me. Like my image was going to be burned in his brain and it was something he could take home and use for all future wanking sessions. And the way that made me feel was not dirty or ashamed, but ignited and that, _that_ should make me very concerned." Hermione had tried to keep calm through this, to be a mature adult discussing feelings that the opposite sex incited and above all to keep the colour off of her face. Today was not her day for succeeding. In anything, it appeared.


	3. Research Fix

Tuesday in the office was difficult, but manageable and as it turned out, Hermione was able to get through the rest of her working week with a modicum of her dignity intact. She would not let this one time occurrence dictate her emotions any longer. Once she had accepted that the heat and the strength of his hands were a tattoo on her hips, it was easier to push through the working day and to actually achieve her tasks. Hermione had found herself staying at her desk well past the time others had left and returning home late enough that it was acceptable to simply collapse on the sofa next to Andy with a cup of tea and switch off before going to bed.

Saturday morning created a new issue. Andy wanted to talk as they sat together at the dining table eating breakfast.

"This is delicious, Andy. Where did you learn to cook?"

"I don't think you could ever say that I learned to cook. I just like to eat and I pick up little tid bits from here and there every now and then," she smiled at Hermione over the brim of her tea cup. "Hermione, I've been wanting to ask you about last weekend."

Hermione snapped her eyes up over her eggs. "What about last weekend?" She asked cautiously.

"Well, things took rather a sharp turn after I left you to dance with that guy. I thought I was doing a good thing, trying to help you move on... I mean, he was not someone I'd kick out of bed... But your reaction to him was not really what I expected. I guess you know him? Is he your ex? Ron?"

Hermione chuckled at the absurdity of Draco Malfoy being her ex boyfriend and wondered how Ron would react if anyone suggested that he and Draco were one and the same. Of course Andy could not have known any of this. "Uh, no. That was not Ron. I do know him, though. We went to boarding school together. We did not have an easy relationship."

"Oh. So he is an ex? Just not Ron."

"Er, no. What I mean is, he was a bit of a bully. He took special pleasure in taunting my friends and I specifically. We did not get along."

"Ooookay. That definitely explains why you wanted to get out of there so quickly, but it does not explain the sexy little conversation you had before he disappeared," Andy smirked and it reminded Hermione so strongly of Malfoy that she had to put down her knife and fork and reach for her cup of too-hot tea.

"I'm not sure you can call it a _'sexy conversation'_. I'm pretty sure that he was just trying to bait me, make me feel small in a place where it should be him who is out of his comfort zone. It was all probably just a rouse to make himself feel more powerful."

"I'm not sure why you think he would be out of his comfort zone in a club, but I can tell you that he was not feeling uncomfortable in the slightest. I may or may not have been watching him for a small amount of time. He was very self assured and it even seemed as though he owned the place. Literally, not metaphorically."

"That - that can't be possible," Hermione stammered. Malfoy owning a muggle club? Come off it. The Malfoy's hated anything to do with muggles, distancing themselves even more so after the war. As if staying out of sight would lead to being out of mind. Impossible.

"I'm just telling you what I saw," Andy began to clear the breakfast dishes from the table.

"No, no. Let me clean up. You did all of the cooking," Hermione insisted and even when Andy had left the living area to shower and dress, Hermione manually washed, dried and put the dishes away. She needed to think.

Malfoy had said to her that he did not intend to be seen. She in fact, had not seen him in several years, except for the occasional article in _The Daily Prophet_ where he was seen attending some charity ball or another. Keeping up appearances and what not, she'd assumed. Hermione actually had no idea what he did with his day to day life and only now wondered what he did for work. Not that he _needed_ to earn a living of course. After the war, Draco had distanced himself from his father and after Lucius had spent some time in Azkaban, Narcissa had filed for divorce, citing her statement in trial that she never wanted to follow Voldemort and that her husband had been the one to choose that life for them. Before the Aurors could come calling, Draco and his mother had cleared their manor of all dark artefacts, curses and potions and handed it and their lives over to the Ministry for inspection. Harry, Ron and Hermione had all been called in to testify in the trials of all three Malfoys and found only Lucius with no leg to stand on for forgiveness. As a result of their cooperation, Draco and Narcissa were allowed to continue on with their lives with nothing but a hefty fine and a cautionary tale to pass on through the generations. Still, what most would consider 'hefty', seemed to have little to no impact on the Malfoy vault in Gringotts.

Though he did not need money, Hermione knew that Draco Malfoy would require stimulation. He would not be able to simply sit on his hands and spend his inheritance. He was much too clever for that. So. How did he spend his days? Was it possible that he really could have invested in a muggle club? That he thought he could make money outside of the wizarding world and not be judged for it by old acquaintances because no one could possibly know it was happening? Is the muggle world somewhere he was actually comfortable as Andy had suggested? Or was it somewhere he could simply be busy and have a good time simultaneously? Hermione needed a plan and in order to plan, she needed information. How to research the muggle world, though? Andy chose this moment to reappear in the living area.

"Hey Andy, is there a public library around here?"

"Sure there is. The Westminster Reference Library. It's just a couple of bus stops away. I'm actually headed in the same direction for a lunch date. Should we go together? I can show you which stop to get off at?"

"Sounds great. I'll just have a quick shower. See you in ten!"

*

Hermione breathed in the scent of the library. She had missed this smell. Somehow a muggle library had smelt different to the Hogwarts library. Maybe it was paper instead of parchment, maybe its was magic and lack there of, maybe it was the difference between what was familiar and what had become familiar but what she knew for sure was that books were her power, her knowledge and her resting place. In this library that she had never stepped foot in before, she was at home. She made her way to one of the three study rooms, miraculously found herself an empty space at one of the computers, took one last lingering look at the books and clicked on the Internet icon. The Internet may be a fairly recent muggle invention, but she sure was happy to have it at her finger tips for this particular research mission. She selected a search engine and typed in 'The Fire Dragon Club, London, UK', found and clicked on it's website. Discarding the opening times, location, menus and DJ line up for the weekend, she found herself looking through the 'news' section of the website. Hermione scrolled through the text, scanning the information for anything that looked to be about an owner or a buyer or anything close to a business deal and suddenly there he was. Draco Malfoy's face smirked at her through the screen above the caption _'Young business tycoon Oliver Nott invests two million pounds to renovate The Fire Dragon in exchange for a 51% ownership stake. Welcome to The Fire Dragon, Mr Nott, we're excited to have you on board!'_

Oliver Nott? Seriously? Now he has a pseudonym, for Merlin's sake. What the heck is all this about? Exiting the website for The Fire Dragon, Hermione instead searched for Malfoy via his alias and came up with a condensed Wikipedia page. The long and the short of it was that Malfoy was investing a heck of a lot of money in several muggle enterprises. It was assumed that he was a trust fund kid spending his inheritance all over the place and some how managing to make a lot of money out of it at the end of the day. Hermione's finger itched over the button where it allowed you to add information to the Wikipedia page, so tempted to send in "recently released from institutionalisation, recovering from delusions including that he has magical powers and attended a high school for witchcraft and wizardry" but stopped herself. The kick she would get out of it right now would probably come back to bite her on the ass in the short future. Instead, she selected the page for printing, put fifty pence in the copy machine and waited for the documents to slide out. Stomach rumbling, Hermione glanced at her watch. It was after two, no wonder she was hungry. It had been hours since breakfast, so gathering the papers, she headed to the nearest café she could find.

Once settled into a booth at a small coffee shop, sandwich and tea on the way, Hermione began to review the information she had gathered. It would seem that Malfoy was building himself a little muggle empire, outside of the eyes of the whole wizarding world. The real question was: why?

As if summoned by her thoughts, Draco Malfoy placed her sandwich and tea in front of her and slid into the booth on the other side of the table. "What have you got there, Granger?" he asked, making a grab for the documents she had just compiled. Hermione snatched the papers to her chest. "What are you doing here, Malfoy?"

"What _am I_ doing here? What are _you_ doing here? Or didn't you notice that this is another one of the establishments on your little list there?" He pointed to the papers that Hermione was still clutching to her chest. Caught, Hermione relinquished her hold on the documents and placed them face up on the table, the snicker on his face looking up at them from the top sheet.

"Actually, _Mr Oliver Nott_ , I just happened into the first café I found after exiting the library. I was too hungry to even look at the name above the door. Sorry to disappoint."

"Disappoint? Why, Miss Hermione Granger, I don't believe you've ever disappointed anyone a day in your life. You've always been little miss perfect. Why stop now?"

"Does that smirk ever leave your face, Malfoy?"

"Very, very rarely. I'm the cat that's got the cream. I see that you are no longer wearing that god awful engagement ring. You and Weasleby break things off?"

Darkening a shade or two, Hermione was inclined to ignore his last comment. "I'm going to find out what you're up to Malfoy and then I am going to expose you."

"Oh, you plan to _expose_ me, do you? I can help you with that if you like?" He started to shrug off his jacket.

Wishing that there was not a blush creeping up her neck, Hermione rolled her eyes and scoffed at his innuendo. "Please, Malfoy. Like I'd ever want that kind of exposure from you. I just want to know what you're up to,' Hermione bit into her sandwich and chewed slowly, as if her heart was not thundering away in her chest, threatening to break free of her.

Draco watched the way her mouth moved to the way her throat bobbed as she swallowed. He followed her hand with his eyes as she reached for her teacup. "What if I told you that I am not up to anything? That all I want is to try and create a quiet, happy life out of the eyes of the public?"

Hermione took another bite of her sandwich and sucked a little bit of mayonnaise off of her thumb. Draco glowered at her. Did she even know what she was doing? Just what she was getting herself into? The Hermione he knew from Hogwarts would have had no idea of the game she was playing with him. Now, the Hermione he saw swinging her hips on the dance floor last weekend - it was possible that _she_ knew what she was doing. Maybe Hermione Granger was not so innocent after all. Maybe this could be more fun than he had anticipated.

"Then, _Mr Nott_. I would call complete and total bullshit."

Hermione abandoned her sandwich, rose from the table and left with out paying, which was the one thing of the entire encounter that she regretted.


	4. Living in a Fantasy World

Still reeling from the interaction with Draco or Oliver or whatever the heck he wanted to call himself, Hermione strode away from the cafe, biting her lip in an attempt to hinder the warmth in her belly from making its way up her neck and to her face. She would have to think of a way to get back to the cafe and pay for her meal. Whilst she was very impressed with the statement she had made by doing so, a dine and dash was not her style.

Hermione rounded a corner, retracing her steps to the library in order to find the correct bus stop when she came face to face with Malfoy, brandishing a receipt in her face. "I believe you forgot to pay for your meal, Granger."

Hermione nearly stopped breathing for a moment, so caught off guard she was. How did he get here so quickly and how did he know which direction she was headed? She needed to think quickly and to think witty. "Sickles tight, Malfoy? Surely you can spot me my lunch this time? I promise to get the cheque next time we dine together," she smirked at him.

"Oh, ho. _Next time_ we dine together, is it? Are you planning some more little run ins to turn into a date?"

" _I'm_ the one staging run ins? Malfoy, you've basically accosted me on the street to pay you back a bill of," she snatched the cheque from his hand which was now dangling by his side, looked for the total, "Four pound sixty? Truly I think you can afford that."

Draco sneered at her, grabbed a wrist and practically dragged her into a small lane way between two buildings.

"What the hell are you doing, Malfoy?"

"You accused me of _accosting you in the street_. There, now we're no longer on the street and I wasn't finished with our conversation earlier. I'd like to address your concerns a little more _personally_."

"More personally than pinning me against this wall, you mean?" Draco had indeed advanced on her so quickly, that she was left with the only option of being backed up against the wall and when he put his palms on the wall on either side of her face, she retrieved her wand and held it directly against his crotch. " _Do not_ come any closer, Malfoy," she warned him, "or I will deprive you of all the women you're yet to seduce."

"There is only one woman whom I want to seduce," he breathed and crushed his lips on to hers. Fire laced through her lips and into her veins and while her brain was telling her to hex his balls off, her body was responding in quite a different manner. Her wand clattered to the ground as she reached up behind his neck, grabbing fistfuls of lush blond hair and pulled him closer to her. Grunting with either pain or pleasure, he responded by molding his body into hers, his hands made their way to her arse, cupping it and lifting her a foot off the ground to gain easier access to her lips. He drove his tongue inside her mouth and held her even more firmly in place between him and the red brick wall.

It was as though every second that passed caused another rational thought to leave Hermione's head until all she could do was breathe him in and respond to his passion. Now held securely in place against the wall, her legs had at some point wrapped themselves around his waist which meant that her skirt must be rolled up somewhere around her hips and she could feel his hard length against her _there_ and was having a hard time trying to stop herself from grinding against him while his hands left her backside and made their way up under her shirt, prying the bra away from her body and using his fingertips to wreak havoc with her nipples. Her hands left their place in his hair and instead travelled down the length of his chest and found their goal at his belt buckle. With a twist and a sharp tug, she had it undone and was in the act of doing the same thing to his pants when a ringing sound came from his pocket. "Is that your phone ringing?" she panted.

"Never mind that," he growled at her, urging her to continue with her ministrations. Ignoring the incessant ringing, she finally held the silky smooth, hard length of him in her hand and was sliding her knickers to the side, guiding him towards her wet centre whilst he sucked on her neck and nibbled at her ears, moaning for her to hurry it up.

"Hermione! _Wake up_! Can you turn off that bloody alarm? It's going to wake up everyone in the building! And on a Sunday morning, too! What even _is_ that?"

Hermione practically jumped out of bed and whacked her alarm clock on the head, wand concealed in the sleeve of her pyjama top as usual. Her magical alarm clock was advertised to _'wake the dead'_ if need be, getting louder and louder every minute it was ignored.

"Sorry, Andy. I must have been really out of it," Hermione was flushed.

Andy took one look at her dishevelled appearance and the twisted bed clothes. "At least it looks like you were having a _really good_ dream," she grinned and left the room.

Good dream or not, Hermione did not feel as though she'd had enough rest and if it weren't for her plans to meet up with Harry and Ginny before lunch with Molly and Arthur Weasley, she'd have gone directly back to bed and risked yet another sex dream in order to try and get some sleep. Dreams like this had been haunting her for the last week since she had met Malfoy at the coffee shop. Of course, he had never come running after her demanding that she pay for a sandwich, so there had never been an indecent encounter in a very public place, yet it seemed that her subconscious very much wished that there had been. This was going to be a long day and in order to get through it, she needed to start it off with a cold shower.

Hermione apparated to just outside Harry and Ginny's home. Immediately a camera flash went off as some reporter for _The Prophet_ took a picture of her knocking on the front door. "Miss Granger, so good to see you! What brings you to the Potter residence today?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, ignoring the little man and waited for Harry or Ginny to open the door so she could escape the eyes and ears of the press. Harry opened the door ten seconds later, gave Hermione a brief hug and provided the cameraman with a little wave before pulling her into the foyer.

"Always ever so polite, Harry," Hermione teased him. "Why do you let them camp outside your house? Surely after all these years, you two would like a little privacy?"

"It keeps everyone happy," Harry replied.

"It doesn't really hurt anyone," Ginny chimed in, taking Hermione's coat and hanging it on a peg by the door. "If we don't want them to know that we're coming or going, we'll take the Floo, or just disapparate. Otherwise, what's the harm in a little press? Besides," she ginned, nudging Harry. "It's not all about him, you know. I'm going to be a famous Quidditch player before long!"

"Now that is very true," Harry agreed and with an arm around each of their shoulders, he guided them both into the living room. "Tea, Hermione?"

"Er, coffee if you have it, please. I think I need a little caffeine hit before this lunch."

"Sure. Everything okay?" Harry asked.

"Oh, I just haven't been sleeping well," Hermione replied.

"Oh yes, why's that?" Ginny probed with a little grin on her face. While Hermione had been game enough to confide in Ginny about what had happened at the club, she certainly _had not_ divulged her latest reoccurring dreams to her. For one thing, after her response in defense of Ron, Hermione was a little more cautious of what she felt comfortable revealing to Ginny. For another, Ginny had been all too full of glee to be a reasonable sounding board and Hermione just could not handle adding any extra fuel to the fire right now.

"I'm not sure, exactly" she mumbled instead. This only served to make Ginny's eyebrows shoot up into her hairline and she would have started to ask more discerning questions if Harry hadn't have reappeared with the hot drinks at that exact moment. Hermione could have hugged him just for that.

The three of them sat together companionably for the next hour or so, catching up on most events from the past week or two. Harry and Hermione discussed a little about work and a little bit of Ministry gossip and Ginny caught Hermione up on her Quidditch career. When the time came, Harry, Hermione and Ginny each took a turn to step into the fire place and travel to The Burrow where they would meet Mr and Mrs Weasley for lunch and Hermione would have to explain her heartbreaking decision all over again, to the parents of the man she had once given her whole heart to.

Familiar smells were the first thing to greet Hermione upon her arrival at The Burrow. Freshly baked bread, meat pies, red wine beef stew and an apple crumble, if she wasn't mistaken. Trust Molly Weasley to go above and beyond when it came to the cooking of lunch. The second thing to greet her was a face full of Molly's hair as she wrapped her arms around Hermione's body. Mrs Weasley released Hermione's waist, only to take her by the shoulders. "Hermione, dear. How wonderful to see you. We've missed you so much, haven't we Arthur?"

Arthur Weasley had just appeared in the kitchen entry way. "Yes, yes. We have missed you, Hermione. It's lovely to see you, again."

"Mr and Mrs Weasley, it's so nice to see you, too, but you make it sound like we haven't seen each other in a year instead of just a month or so," Hermione said, giving Arthur a hug.

"Yes, well. That is what it feels like for us, dear. You and Ron used to be here every week for Sunday dinner and now we barely even see Ron," Molly said sounding drained. "Come now, lunch is ready and we don't want it to get cold, do we?"

So the five of them took their seats at the head of the long table where Molly uncovered the platter of pies and dished the stew into bowls for Arthur to pass around.

Dunking his bread into his bowl, Harry eagerly stuffed the red soaked morsel into his mouth. "This is delicious, Molly, really."

"You'd think I didn't feed him at home," Ginny rolled her eyes and picked up her spoon. "It is delicious though, Mum."

"Yes, compliments to the chef," Hermione agreed and they managed to get through the stew, bread and pies in pleasant, if restricted conversation.

It was when Molly went to boil some water for tea to serve with dessert and everyone else had retired to the living room that things started to get a little more tense.

"Hermione, I have to warn you, Molly is on a bit of a mission. She hasn't really accepted the way things are between you and Ron and it is her plan to fix it over apple crumble," Arthur confided in her.

"Wonderful," Hermione grumbled as a levitating pot of tea, three teacups and three too-large servings of apple crumble with custard came into the living area closely followed by Mrs Weasley. "Harry, Ginny, I've left tea and crumble in the kitchen for you," Molly hinted strongly.

"Well, Harry, I guess that's our cue to leave the room," Ginny said as they stood up.

Hermione made a grab for Ginny's hand. "No, wait. You guys don't need to leave the room. There's nothing to say that you can't stay for," Hermione pleaded with them. Harry took one look at his mother in law, gave Hermione an apologetic shrug and shuffled from the room, Ginny not far behind.

Arthur made himself busy pouring the tea while Molly stared Hermione down. In a sad attempt to delay the inevitable conversation, Hermione picked up her dessert and began hastily spooning it into her mouth even though she was already stuffed from lunch. "Really good, Molly," Hermione gestured towards the bowl.

"Thank you, dear. Now let's talk about this nonsense going on between you and Ron. I am sure that this is nothing that cannot be fixed. So tell me all about it and let's see if we can't get this sorted."

"I'm really sorry, Molly. You are all family to me and I love you all so very much but Ron and I, we can't fix this. We loved each other once but we fell out of love some time ago and we were so stuck in our little rut, that we didn't even realise it."

"Honey, if we always felt like we were in our honeymoon period, it wouldn't be real. _Real_ relationships, _real_ marriage, _real_ love has it's rough patches. Do you think Arthur is always my favourite person? That we have never had issues?"

"Now, Molly I -" Arthur attempted to join the conversation

"Let's not pretend you and I both haven't done some stupid things in our time together, dear. Let's not bring up _certain cars_ and other muggle trinkets, hmm? This conversation is about Hermione and Ron, not us. You know I love you, dear," she patted him on the knee and returned her attention to Hermione.

"Yes, Molly, I know that relationships have flaws and that there are things that can be built on, worked out and made stronger. Ron and I - our relationship was built on a childish crush, of adventures, teenage miscommunications and intensified by the war, a constant threat to our lives and a need to prove ourselves. Once all of that was gone, it took some time to see that while we loved each other, it was not a love that could last the ages. We simply were not happy with each other any more and no amount of time could fix that. It was a mutual decision to end things before we messed it up further by getting married and bringing children into the equation. Don't we both deserve to find a lasting love?" Hermione blinked tears from her eyes and reached for her teacup.

"Yes, dear. Of course you both deserve that," Molly's bottom lip had begun to wobble and Arthur had put his arm around her shoulders. "We just always thought that you had found it in each other," she confessed. "I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me," Molly said, eyes shining as she left the room.

Hermione stood to go after her but Arthur put a hand out to stop her from doing so. "Look, Hermione. She really thought that what was between you and Ron could be fixed and I think you have just shown her that it cannot. She loves you like a daughter, Hermione and right now she is heart broken. Give her time and she'll come around. I'll tell her you said goodbye," Arthur finished in dismissal.

Deflated, Hermione made her way back through the house to the fireplace. Once in the kitchen, Harry and Ginny stood from the table to greet her. "How did it go?" Harry asked.

"Er, not well," Hermione admitted. "Molly left the room in tears and I'm pretty sure Arthur is mad at me."

"Not possible," Ginny said. "Dad never gets upset with you. Ever."

"Well, he's made an exception this time, Ginny. I'm sure of it. Look, you two stay, see how your Mum is. I'm just going to go home and try and forget that this ever happened. I'll see you both later," Hermione said. Stepping into the fire place, Hermione used the Floo network to get to the Leaky Cauldron from where she could get the bus home.

Once safely ensconced in her bedroom, Hermione slipped her pyjamas back on, found a small stock of dreamless sleep potion, downed it and collapsed into bed, desperate for some peace.


	5. A Change of Pace

Hermione was beginning to become very disenchanted with the division she worked in at the Ministry. She knew that in all Governments, things tended to move slowly and that it was difficult to persuade a change in factions that had been a certain way for not only decades but centuries. All she wanted to do was to finally set in motion freedom for House Elves and to begin other projects that she had earmarked over the years. Such as Centaur lands being restricted; discrimination against Werewolves and education for Giants. Four years of dedication to the department and no matter how much research she completed, however many forms she had filled in, meetings she attended and petitions she submitted, nothing was ever accomplished. Maybe the Department for Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures was not actually the best fit to make positive changes in this world. Maybe it was time for a departmental change, one where she could actually make a difference. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was a better fit for her skills and that is exactly where she found herself on a Wednesday morning, applying for a transfer.

A very young witch sat at the reception desk. Despite the harsh haircut and crisp robes that she wore, she couldn't have been more than a few months post-Hogwarts. "Here is the paperwork, Miss Granger. Please fill this in and return it to us at your earliest convenience. Be sure to be concise when explaining your reason for request of transfer, otherwise, you may be required to fill it in again until the department heads are happy with your explanation. Have a good day. Next please." Hermione slipped the paperwork into her satchel and turned smack bang into a hard chest. Hermione put her hands up in apology "I'm so sorry," she stammered and looked up to see who she had accidentally slammed into. Strong, warm hands were placed on her shoulders as she looked up into the stormy grey eyes of Draco Malfoy. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Hermione rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Are you following me, Malfoy?"

There it was, the famous smirk. "Absolutely not, Granger. I have people who do my stalking for me, I'd never stoop to a level of doing it myself. But if you _would_ wait just one moment, I'd very much like to take you out for lunch. Perhaps we could continue our earlier conversation on how you plan to expose all of my terrible misdeeds?"

"You want to take me on a lunch date and help me uncover all of your secrets?" Hermione scoffed, disbelieving.

Malfoy held up his index finger as he moved towards the reception desk and asked the young witch for some sort of request form. The reception witch giggled at whatever it was Malfoy just said and Hermione decided that no matter how desperately she wanted to go to lunch with Draco Malfoy, she also desperately wanted to avoid ever seeing him again. How on earth was she supposed to disregard the butterflies and the heat that pooled somewhere below her stomach at just the sight of him if she couldn't even avoid him at her place of work? The flirtation going on behind that desk was the icing on the cake. So, rolling her eyes, Hermione ignored the tugging sensation that pulled her towards the desk and began to make her way back to the lifts. It appeared that all the lifts were down on level nine because it was at least a minute before one appeared, which, unfortunately, gave Malfoy the opportunity to catch up to her. He stood next to her and glanced sideways "So I take it that you do not wish to join me for lunch, Granger? You can continue to call it a date if you wish," he smirked down at her.

Hermione blushed furiously. "I do not wish to call it a date, Malfoy. In fact, I'm not sure that I should be going anywhere with you at all." The lift arrived and before she could move, Draco was already pulling the grate aside and gesturing for Hermione to enter it.

"So, down to level four to get back to work or will we just go up one level together?" He seemed hopeful that she might accompany him. Surely that couldn't be genuine? There was only one way to find out. "The lobby will be fine, Malfoy. On two conditions. One, I pick the place. Two, I'm paying."

Draco gave a soft chuckle, "I guess I'll have to cancel the reservation at _Zuma_. I was really looking forward to some Japanese, too. I've just started to get the hang of chopsticks," he joked. Hermione actually felt her jaw drop and snapped it closed again. Had he really made a lunch reservation at the most up and coming popular restaurant in Muggle London? Also, did he just laugh _and_ make a joke? So many questions in such little time. The next question needed to be where the heck was she going to take him for lunch?

For two blocks Hermione strode with a purpose she didn't feel, frantically wondering where on earth she could take Draco for lunch. Did he have some sort of rule when it came to meal times? Was there a minimum price requirement to pass a certain test?

There was a _Pret-A-Manger_ up on the corner there and Hermione made a beeline for it, screw whatever snobbish requirements Draco Malfoy might have. At least he had the option of soup, sandwich or salad.

" _Pret-A-Manger_? Seriously, Granger? If this is your favourite lunch spot then we will have to do this much more often and at places of my choosing," Draco sneered.

"If this isn't good enough for you, Malfoy, I could always get my lunch and take it back to the office?" Hermione suggested with a touch of hope in her voice that she absolutely did not feel. In fact, she was silently pleading with him to go inside with her. Her heart had skipped when he had suggested taking her out much more often, her unbidden dream jumping to the forefront of her mind.

"Well, I guess if I want to buy the whole franchise, I should probably sample the merchandise?" Draco shrugged and moved towards the door, holding it open for Hermione to go in before him.

Hermione let out the breath that she didn't realise she was holding and stepped inside. "You want to buy the whole franchise? Why?"

"Why does anyone buy anything? To own it, of course. Now let's see what sandwiches they have on offer," he said, bending over the open-shelved fridge to better examine its contents. Hermione selected a chicken salad and an orange juice and attempted to wait patiently for Draco to make his choice. Once he had come to a decision, they made their way to the counter where Hermione paid, inconspicuously moving the Galleons, Sickles and Knuts to the side of her purse to do so. Miraculously, they found a table with two places available and made their way towards it. Unfortunately, those two free chairs were placed side by side and Hermione was desperately trying and failing to eat her salad without brushing her arm against his. Halfway through his sandwich, Draco started to talk. "You know, Granger. This isn't much of an interview. How on earth do you plan on divulging the ugly truth if you're not asking me questions?"

Hermione felt his words like a punch to the stomach. She calmly placed her fork in the plastic container and reached for her orange juice. So, if this was purely an interview, she would treat it as such. "Mr Malfoy, do you care to tell this investigator why you are out buying half of muggle London when your family is famous for promoting Pureblood lines whilst ignoring that the muggle world actually exists?" She may have imagined it, but Hermione thought that she saw a flash of anger in his eyes.

"Well, Miss Granger. I would be delighted to inform you that since my family is no longer subjected to my father, his steadfast beliefs and the evil oppressor at the head of those beliefs, we have been able to move into a much more modern and, in my opinion, _free_ world. It is my hope that one day soon all Pureblood families will be open to friendships and possibly even marriages with not only half-blood witches and wizards, but also Muggle-born witches and wizards. That Muggle-borns will no longer feel the persecution that they once did, not only in school but in the wizarding world in general."

Hermione had stopped breathing at some point during this revelation. She knew she was searching his face for some sign of deceit and she found no hint of insincerity there. Was it possible that the boy who taunted her with the _Mudblood_ label in the halls of Hogwarts had been replaced by a man who denounced Pureblood superiority? She turned her attention back to her salad and picked up her fork again. "Well, that all sounds positive, Mr Malfoy, but it does not explain why you are buying so many different Muggle businesses. Surely you do not intend to run them all yourself?"

"I'm buying several Muggle businesses that I believe will flourish in the future. I am trying to put my money into good places and help them become great places. I am venturing into the Muggle world because I believe that the wizarding world is limited in terms of growth, moving forward and diversity. I want to build a new dynasty with the Malfoy name for my future children. I want them to be well rounded, to have many options placed before them, instead of being forced down a single path. Do I plan to run all of these businesses myself? Of course not. What do I know about running a cafe, a restaurant, a club or a business tower? Very, very little. My time in the Muggle world has been limited, but I plan to change that and to learn what I can to help the people who _do_ run the businesses."

"That sounds all very good and noble, Malfoy but I have a few issues with that statement. Firstly, if you wish to build a new dynasty for the _Malfoy_ name, why on earth are you operating under a pseudonym, Mr Oliver Nott? Secondly, do you honestly expect your children to be well rounded when they are raised in such wealth? Money typically breeds children who do not understand different socio-economies."

"You are much too perceptive, Miss Granger," Draco admitted and Hermione was pleased to see that his skin had taken on a pink tinge. "I am using the alias here because for now, there are still witches and wizards who do not agree with my plans of integration. These people may have the power and influence to crash some deals I am yet to make, so I would prefer that they know nothing of my movements for the time being. Thankfully, the internet is not something these people would even know exists, let alone how to use and as long as I can keep my face out of the newspapers, they can continue to use the name Oliver Nott. I hope to rectify this situation as soon as I have persuaded their sympathies. As for ensuring that my children do well and do not follow in my childhood footsteps, I hope that the woman I am fortunate enough to marry will be a great asset in this area." The pink tinge took on a slightly darker shade.

Hermione knew that she was also blushing. Draco Malfoy was being extremely forthcoming with her and if she could trust her instincts, he was also being very truthful. She finished her orange juice and placed the bottle in her empty salad container. Noting that Draco was also finished with his meal, she gathered all of the rubbish and got up to put it in the bin. Draco followed her, freeing the space for another two diners. Hermione ducked out of the door that he held open for her again and began the walk back to the office, at a much slower pace than before. "It sounds as though you have a few prerequisites for this future wife. Do you have someone in mind?"

Draco kept her slower pace and matched her stride. "I did meet someone a few years ago. I didn't realise it at the time, but over the years she has shown me a kindness that I didn't deserve, humbled me in many different ways, displayed her cleverness on her sleeve whilst somehow maintaining a modesty that is most becoming on one who has blossomed into one of the most beautiful women I have ever laid my eyes on. So yes," he smiled down at her, eyes sparkling with humour. "I do have someone in mind. However, I am relatively confident that she would never look twice at me with anything other than disappointment and exasperation."

"Oh," Hermione gulped. She had hoped for a moment that he may have been referring to her, but if the witch he was referring to was really that beautiful _and_ would not take him seriously, then it could not have been her at all. For surely he could see that she was attracted to him and that is why he found this particular conversation so darn funny. "Well," she continued. "She does sound like a very remarkable woman, maybe you just need to let her know that you are interested. If she is as kind as you say, maybe she will let you down easy and you will at least know for sure."

They had reached the red phone booth, the Muggle entrance to the Ministry. Once again Draco held the door open for her, but this time he placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her inside. "Hermione, you understand that everything I just told you was completely confidential, yes?"

"Yes, Draco. Why would I ever tell anyone that you've actually turned into a decent human being? You've got a reputation to uphold, right?"

Draco smirked at her. "Ten points to Gryffindor." He turned to leave.

"Wait," Hermione called after him. Once he had turned back to her she asked, "Why have you told me all of this and why have you been so kind?"

"Well, you did discover my secret earlier than I would have liked anyone to, so I thought perhaps if I could explain my secret to you, you would keep it for me."

Of course, Hermione thought. He was simply buying her silence with this unusual kindness.

"And," he continued. "After so many years of showing you all the wrong sides of me, I thought I would try and show you the right sides. It's not easy trying to forget all of those learned behaviours, but I am attempting to be a better man and I am hopeful that you can assist me with that," he gave her a weak smile and this time disappeared behind a corner.

Oh dear, Hermione thought. All of her intentions to discover what atrocities he was up to, to prove to herself that he was not a man she could be interested in had given her nothing but a serious crush on him. She made her way through the Ministry and to her desk in a daze. How on earth had she found herself in this situation and how on earth was she going to get herself out of it? Draco Malfoy was not someone she could be involved with. How would Harry respond? Ginny had mentioned that Harry and Draco were on much better terms these days, but that didn't make them friends. How would Ron handle the news? Hermione wasn't sure that this was a pill that Ron could swallow and even though she was no longer in love with him, that didn't mean that she didn't still love and respect him as a friend. She had hoped that one day they could become friends again. If she were to be in a relationship with Draco Malfoy, that was likely to never happen.

She was getting far too wound up in her own head. Malfoy had basically said that he was in love with someone else, so she certainly should not be entertaining the idea that he wanted to see her for anything other than her assistance in becoming a better man - in order to win the heart of this other witch. She would have to deflate the swelling in her heart each time she saw him for she knew that she did not have the capacity to turn him down should he come asking for her help. Hermione found herself wishing that she never went to lunch with him as she plucked a flying memo from the air, read and responded to it. With a sigh, she put her head down and got to work.


	6. Everybody Needs Good Neighbours

It had been two weeks since Hermione had last seen Draco Malfoy for that drastically revealing interview and the weather was starting to get much colder. November was very quickly becoming December and as the temperature dropped, so did Hermione's hope that she would ever encounter him again. She was spending Friday evening at home by the fire with a favourite novel, passing the time until Andy came home from her date. Picking up her teacup to find it empty, Hermione bent to refill it from the pot she still had on the coffee table. As she did so, a sharp tapping sounded from the kitchen window. Very thankful that Andy was still not home, Hermione opened the window to receive the Ministry Owl and the envelope it was carrying. The Ministry was obviously not too busy on this Friday night as the owl seemed to have no qualms about receiving a scratch behind the ears and some owl treats that Hermione summoned from her bedroom. With a small hoot, the owl took off back through the open window and Hermione was relieved to close it immediately afterwards. Settling back down on the sofa, she opened the letter from the Ministry.

_Dear Miss Hermione Jean Granger,_

_We are pleased to inform you that we have received your request for transfer from The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Beast Division to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement._

_The two departments are deliberating on the transfer and you will be informed as soon as a decision has been reached._

_Yours faithfully,_

_Lysandra Ewans_

_Assistant to Head of Magical Law Enforcement_

Wonderful. In the two weeks since she had submitted the transfer request, they had actually opened and read it. How much longer would it take for the Departments to make a time to meet and actually reach a decision? Still, she thought, progress was progress. Hermione refolded the letter, slid it back into its envelope and tucked it neatly into the book she was reading, lest Andy come home and see it lying around. Returning to her book, Hermione snuggled under a blanket and passed the next few hours in a comfortable silence with herself before turning in for the night.

Saturday morning was clear and crisp with the sun creating an illusion that it might be warm outside. It was not warm outside, as Hermione discovered very quickly after setting a foot outside the door. She turned to go back upstairs for a warmer coat and stopped in her tracks. Draco Malfoy was standing at the bottom of the staircase, pulling on a pair of black leather gloves. "Ok, now I know you're following me," she said to him.

Draco focused on his task, now snapped his head up at stared at Hermione, surprised. "Granger, what are you doing here?"

"Me? I live here. What are _you_ doing here?"

Draco nervously ran a hand through his hair. "I, er. Uh," he stammered.

Hermione very quickly put together a picture of a Friday night dalliance with one of the other residents of the building. Oh please, Merlin, don't let it have been Andy! "I see," Hermione said. "Did you have a good night?"

Draco looked like he had a sharp pain in his stomach. "I did have a good night, yes, but it's not what you think."

"Does it matter what I think?"

"Yes, it matters what you think. Of course, it does," he was practically rolling his eyes. "I live here as well," he confessed, adding "on the top floor."

Hermione laughed out loud and Draco frowned at her. "Of course you live on the top floor. What, I suppose you also own the building?" She joked.

Draco's lack of immediate response confirmed that he did, in fact, also own the building. "I'm not here often. I still mostly reside in the Malfoy Manor, but on occasion, it's nice to feel independent and free of certain expectations, so I keep a residence here."

Hermione had lost all trace of humour now and stonily replied, "I'm sure it's also a much more convenient location to bring home any unsuspecting muggle woman, as well."

Any warm expression Draco had been wearing, went right out the window with those words and Hermione regretted it the moment she looked at his face.

"What is it to you if I did, Granger?" he sneered at her. Oh no, Hermione thought. She had just begun to unravel the mystery that was Draco Malfoy and try to really get to know him and with one wrong sentence, managed to bring it crashing down around her. Still, she could hardly change tacts now, it would give far too much of her away and he would see right through her to her pounding heart.

"Look, I'm sorry to just assume those things, but you did tell me that the woman you are all but in love with, is not someone you are in a relationship with. So, what I do assume is that you are _not_ in a relationship with someone else. What I _know_ is your reputation with the ladies and from the rumours I heard at Hogwarts, your needs are to be met on a most frequent basis."

"I am no longer a hormone driven teenager, Granger. I'd have thought someone with your analytic skills could have deduced that for yourself. If you'll excuse me, I have somewhere I need to be." He looked left, right and back up the staircase to make sure no one was watching and disapparated with a loud crack, leaving Hermione with a dreadfully heavy feeling in her chest.

It was quite evident that she had damaged any good rapport that she and Draco may have built over the last few weeks and Hermione was at a loss as to how to repair it. She also needed to process this new information. So Draco Malfoy was no longer a playboy? It seemed he really had matured since Hogwarts and she felt absolutely ridiculous for having assumed that he had not. Still, how could she atone for her harsh words? _Should_ she atone for her words? Would it really be the end of the world if she and Draco went back to the way they were before with barely a nod in each other's direction? The feeling of her heart dropping to her stomach was confirmation that yes, yes it would matter and it would matter greatly.

Hermione stomped back up the stairs and retrieved a coat. Her mood destroyed, she decided to change her immediate plan for the day and head to Diagon Alley for a well-deserved spree at Flourish and Blotts and maybe even a hot fudge sundae at Fortescue's. Taking a small note from Draco's book, Hermione glanced around the apartment to make sure that Andy was not around before disapparating to the Apparition Point in Diagon Alley.

After several blissful and restorative hours spent in Flourish and Blotts, Hermione headed back towards the Leaky Cauldron for a spot of lunch. A decision she regretted almost as soon as she sat down at the bar.

"Miss Granger!" Tom practically shouted, announcing her arrival to the whole pub.

"Hello, Tom," Hermione grimaced back at his grinning face as several witches and wizards stood up to greet her.

A full half an hour had passed since Hermione's sandwich had been placed in front of her before she asked Tom to have it wrapped up so she could eat it on the go. The moment the wrapped package was in her hands, Hermione stood and excused herself, retreating back to the entrance of Diagon Alley seeking some solitude to simply take a bite. Slightly concerned that she hadn't given herself enough time to properly chew the sandwich, Hermione took out her wand and tapped the correct bricks to gain entry back into Diagon Alley. She needed to get away from the Leaky Cauldron patrons and back into the anonymity that the hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley provided. Foregoing that hot fudge sundae, Hermione instead made her way towards Madam Malkin's. She would need several new sets of robes if she were to start working in law enforcement and making appearances in front of the Wizengamot. She might as well make some purchases while she was here.

Madame Malkin's was deserted when she walked in. Literally Hermione didn't even see a salesperson, let alone Madam Malkin herself. Hermione began to browse in the women's business section, selecting robes in dark blue, a deep green and light pink. She levitated her choices in front of her, intending to float them to the fitting room from where she now heard voices emanating. Hermione smiled to herself as someone made a joke and there was a deep, rumbling male laugh in response. Halfway to the change rooms, Hermione stopped dead in her tracks.

"Yes, Draco. I agree with Madam Malkin on this. I really do believe that the dark grey and the navy blue were a wonderful match for your skin tone and did a marvellous job of bringing out the colour of your eyes," Narcissa Malfoy made a sudden appearance from the dressing room. Thankfully, her head was still turned in the direction of where her son must be. Hermione dropped the charm and made a mad dash for the nearest rack of robes. She dove into them and hoped to God that she had done so in time to have avoided anyone seeing her. Crouching down, Hermione made a real effort not to sneeze from the dust she had stirred up with her sudden movement.

"What in Merlin's name happened here?" Madam Malkin asked about what Hermione could only assume was the pile of robes she had unceremoniously dumped on the floor.

"I believe it might have something to do with that quivering rack over there," Narcissa sounded amused and Hermione felt the air go out of her like a sucker punch to the stomach. So she hadn't been quite as quick as she thought she had and worse, she couldn't think of a single excuse for why she was hiding on the floor in between some robes. Said robes were being parted and Madam Malkin's concerned face appeared in the space between.

"Miss Granger?" Madam Malkin asked, clearly surprised.

"Oh, uh, hello Madam Malkin. How are you?" Hermione peered up at the store's proprietor with a faux-innocent expression plastered on her face.

"Merlin's beard, young lady. What do you think you are doing?"

"Oh, I, er, thought that I saw a group of Nargles. You know how they like to steal things. I thought I'd just round them up for you and get them out of your hair," Hermione lied.

"Oh, well. How very kind of you, dear. I'll conduct a proper search a little later and make sure that I find them all. Would you like to come out of there now?" Madam Malkin offered Hermione a hand to help her off of the floor.

_Not really_ , Hermione thought, but took the proffered hand anyway, emerging into the store proper to see Narcissa hiding a smile behind her hand, eyes sparkling with humour. Draco stood next to her, face covered with mild curiosity. Hermione was blushing furiously and desperately trying to avoid Draco's gaze. "Er, good luck with the Nargles, Madam Malkin. I guess I'll just get going now."

Madam Malkin smiled at her and _Accio'd_ Hermione's earlier selection of robes. With her arms laden, Madam Malkin asked "Wouldn't you like to try these on, dear?"

"Oh, uh, yes. I would like to try them," Hermione confessed.

Madam Malkin levitated them towards the fitting room. "I'll be right with you dear. I'll just finish up with Ms Black and Mr Malfoy."

"Great, thank you." Hermione followed after the floating robes.

"You go ahead, Mother. I'll join you in just a moment," Draco said.

The colour drained from Hermione's face as she halted her steps.

"Of course, dear. I'll meet you outside in just a few moments, then." Narcissa replied with a smile.

Hermione turned to face Draco as he walked towards her. Crap. What was she going to say? She had planned to do something to make up for this morning, but she didn't think that she'd have to make up for it quite so soon. "Look, Malfoy, I'm really sorry about this morning. I shouldn't have been so rude nor should I have assumed anything about your personal life. I was way out of line. I apologise profusely," Hermione said.

Draco moved closer to her with a small smile on his face. Well, Hermione thought, at least her apology seemed to be hitting the mark. Then suddenly he was in her personal space and his hands were in her hair. Hermione stopped breathing. "What are you doing?" she sputtered.

He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and took a step back, grinning. "It would appear as though your little tussle with the robes had an adverse reaction with your hair."

"Oh," Hermione said simply, completely embarrassed.

"Your apology for this morning is accepted and I wish to make one of my own. I may have slightly overreacted to your comments. Sometimes I do not respond well to negativity, especially when it comes from someone I respect and admire. Please accept my apology?" He asked.

Hermione could feel the colour returning to her face and let the warm feeling spread through her and land in her heart. "Shall we just forget it ever happened?" Hermione suggested hopefully.

"I believe that would be achievable," he gave her a warm smile. "Can we try to forget it ever happened over dinner tonight?"

Stunned, Hermione gaped at him. "Dinner? Tonight? I, er. What? I think - I mean. Dinner? Like a date?"

Draco chuckled in response. "Is that a yes?"

"I, umm. Yes, alright then. Are you sure?"

Another chuckle. "Yes, Granger. I'm sure. I'll pick you up at seven," another smile and Hermione's legs wobbled. He walked away to meet his mother outside and Hermione had to put a hand against the door frame to brace herself. Draco Malfoy had just asked her on a date and she had agreed to go with him. What was she thinking? Feeling slightly more steady now, she ran her hands through her hair, making the curls frizz and went to find the robes she was supposed to try on. Half an hour later, she left Madam Malkin's with her robes wrapped in boxes, lovingly placed in bags and butterflies still going wild in her stomach. It was only three in the afternoon, so she still had four hours before she needed to be ready and she knew that was more than enough time, especially with the help of spells. Still, she was already in complete panic mode as she made her way back through Diagon Alley to the Leaky Cauldron, where she made a quick exit out to muggle London and to the tube station that would take her home.

"Annnnnnnnndy" Hermione hollered once she stepped foot in their apartment, racing to her bedroom door to deposit her bags from Flourish and Blotts and Madam Malkin's.

Andy emerged from her bedroom rubbing her eyes, short hair mussed with sleep. "Hermione? What's wrong? Why are you screaming?"

Hermione reappeared in the doorway of her bedroom, red-faced and hair wild. "I have a date tonight,"

Andy was suddenly at attention. "A date? With who?"

"You remember that guy from the club?"

Andy's eyes bugged out of her head. "That guy? Your hot high school bully?"

"That's the one," Hermione confirmed, index finger thrust into the air for emphasis and if possible, her hair fluffed out more than it already was.

"Wow, you _like_ this guy. Like you like him a lot," Andy grinned. "And you babe, are _totally_ freaking out right now!"

"Well spotted," Hermione visibly deflated with the observation. "What do I do? I haven't been on a real date since I was fourteen."

"You get ready, of course. _Fourteen?_ You were with Ron since you were fourteen?"

"Uh, no. That was with someone else, for a school dance."

"So you never went on a date with your ex-fiance?"

"No. We just sort of got together and stayed together. No official dating."

"Right. Well, that is exceptionally sad. What time is this guy coming to get you?"

"Seven."

"Three hours, ok. That's fine. We can do three hours. Go and run the bath and I will re-evaluate your wardrobe selections. What are you waiting for, woman? Hustle!"

Hermione spun on her heel and went to the bathroom, turning on the taps to fill the bathtub and joined Andy back in the bedroom to look through the wardrobe. "Where is he taking you," she asked. "That will help narrow down the options," she said and added: " _greatly,_ " picking at a pair of Hermione's jeans.

"Umm. I'm guessing that it is going to be dinner somewhere pretty fancy. Draco has certain standards," Hermione told her, helping to sort through her clothes.

Andy dropped the dress she was holding and turned to look at Hermione. "His name is Draco?"

Hermione bent to pick up the discarded dress, concerned about Andy's reaction. "Yes, why?"

"Oh, it's, uh, just not a name you hear very often, that's all," Andy smiled back at Hermione. "You should go and get in that bath. I'll put something together that will knock his socks off,"

Hermione remained unconvinced, but took Andy's advice, returning to the bathroom.

"Add a scented oil to that bath water," Andy called. Hermione selected an essential oil and added a few drops to the running water. "I think I've found a winner and I have the perfect shoes and bag to go with it. I'll get them and lay them out on the bed. Enjoy that bath and try to relax. Come and get me when you're dressed."

Hermione took a deep breath and submerged herself into the hot, scented water, trying to calm her racing heart. Forty-five minutes later Hermione was a firm believer in the healing power of a hot bath, she towelled herself off and went in search of the outfit that Andy left out for her. Lying on her bed was a little red dress that Hermione had completely forgotten about. She had bought it a few years ago for an anniversary with Ron but they had fought that day and ended up not going to the restaurant. Hermione contemplated whether or not she should wear it. Could she forget the memories she associated with that dress and try and have a nice evening whilst wearing it? She did love the dress and the way it hugged her at the waist and flipped around her knees as she walked. It was a real shame that she didn't get the chance to wear it before. A few more moments of contemplation and Hermione was at her underwear drawer, searching through it for her red set. She slipped the red dress on over the top of her underwear and her feet into the shiny black pumps with the red toes and heels. After a cursory glance in the mirror, Hermione went to find Andy for assistance with hair and makeup.

Hermione obediently sat in the kitchen chair as Andy chattered and took an hour and a half to do the same job that a two-minute charm could achieve. Still, she had appearances to keep up and if her hair and makeup were done too quickly, she wouldn't be able to explain it if Andy were to inquire. Besides all of that, it was very calming to have someone pamper her in this way. Andy handed her a clear lip gloss and went to fetch the matching clutch bag. A quick glance at the clock and Hermione's heart was set to racing again. She had a mere five minutes until seven o'clock, so she smeared on the lip gloss, spritzed on a little perfume and started pacing to and fro in the living room. Andy reappeared with the black clutch bag and Hermione took to the task of filling it with cash, her phone, the lip gloss and her ID. Andy handed her a handful of condoms with a wink, saying: "Just in case!"

Mortified, Hermione tried to hand them back to her. "I won't need them, I don't see that tonight will get quite that far."

Andy simply shrugged back at her and repeated: "Just in case." Before Hermione could start pelting them at Andy's grinning face, the doorbell rang and Hermione froze, her hand full of condoms. "I'll just make myself scarce, then. Have a good night," Andy winked, skipping gleefully into her bedroom. If Hermione thought it odd that Andy didn't want to meet Draco, she didn't exactly have the time to think about it right now.

Unsure what to do, Hermione stuffed the condoms into her purse and went to answer the door. Expecting to see Draco standing there, Hermione was surprised when all she saw was a large bouquet of lilac coloured roses. As the soft fragrance breezed over her, they were lowered to reveal Draco's smiling face. "Oh, hello," Hermione said.

"Hello," Draco replied, smiling down at her.

"Er, please come in." Hermione held the door open a little wider so that both he and the bouquet could fit through the doorway.

"Granger, you look stunning," he told her, handing her the bouquet. "Here, these are for you."

"Thank you. You look nice, too" she said and he did. With black trousers and a dark blue button up shirt, his eyes were practically glowing. "And thank you for the roses. They're lovely. Lilac is actually my favourite colour."

"Really? What a wonderful coincidence," he practically hummed, causing Hermione to wonder if it was, in actual fact a coincidence.

Hermione made sure that Andy wasn't peaking through a crack in her bedroom door and conjured a large vase, filled it with water and charmed it with an everlasting spell to keep the flowers fresh. She placed the bouquet in the vase and looked up at Draco who had been watching her intently.

"What?" She asked him, feeling the colour rise in her cheeks. She felt like she was being studied.

"That dress is really something. I'm not sure it's a good idea for us to leave the building with you looking like that. I'll spend the whole night glaring at all the guys who will be watching your every move." He laughed and Hermione almost melted at the sound.

"Don't be ridiculous," she said instead. "Should we get going or would you like something to drink first?" She offered before considering if she even had something to serve him. Thankfully, he took her hand and placed it in the crook of his arm.

"We should be going to the restaurant."


	7. Going Out on Our Very First Date

Even though they had touched much more intimately than this before; Hermione was thinking about the time she had danced against his crotch in the club, but the way he took her hand and placed it on his arm was so gentle and romantic that she felt like she had been hit with the jelly legs curse. They essentially glided out of the apartment, down the stairs and out on to the street where a smart black car was idling by the curb, suit-clad driver waiting by the rear door. "Good evening, Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger," he greeted them and opened the back door.

"Good evening," Hermione replied as Draco nodded to the chauffeur. Hermione stepped into the car, made herself comfortable and Draco followed suit.

"So what has life been like the last two weeks?" Hermione asked before the silence could stretch further.

"I have spent some time talking to old family friends, planting some seeds and hoping they will grow quickly in order for me to drop the name 'Oliver Nott'. Lately, I have become less and less fond of the idea of hiding what I am thinking and feeling. With any luck, I will be Draco Malfoy in the muggle world within a few more months."

"Oh, that's wonderful news. I hope it works out the way you want it to."

"So far things are moving along very well," he looked down at her, eyes glinting and Hermione wondered if his words had a double meaning. "What about you? What have you been up to since our lunch together?"

"Erm, well. I applied for a departmental transfer at work and I received an owl last night to let me know that my request was under consideration." Hermione told him.

"Is that why we bumped into each other in the Law Enforcement offices?"

"Yes, that is the department I'd like to transition in to," Hermione smiled nervously up at him, unsure as to what his thoughts on the change would be.

"I believe that you would do extremely well in that department," he said, building up her confidence. "You could make a real change working there. You're so passionate about making things fair and right, I'm sure that this is the right step for you."

Hermione felt her face light on fire with the praise and was thankful that it was dark inside the car and Draco would not be able to tell.

"Thank you. That is very encouraging to hear," she told him.

The car had stopped and the driver was opening the door for her. Upon exiting the car, Hermione let out a little sigh of happiness and looked up at Draco as he stood beside her. " _The Savoy_ ," she grinned. "I've always wanted to come here," she told him.

"Really? Another happy coincidence, then." He said, threading his fingers through hers. Hermione's heart skipped a beat as she looked down at their intertwined hands and then he was leading her into the hotel and to the left, where the restaurant was located.

Draco and Hermione had a very pleasant dinner together, with wonderful food, a fantastic wine selection on Draco's behalf and very stimulating conversation. When they exited the restaurant hand in hand, Hermione was floating somewhere up on cloud nine.

Safely ensconced in the back seat of the car again, Hermione was feeling full of good food, wine and a dreamy warmth. She was very happy to sit in a comfortable silence as they drove towards Hyde Park where she and Draco were planning to have a late night walk through the gardens.

Strolling arm and arm through Hyde Park in the middle of the night was what Hermione considered to be the epitome of romance and while she was enjoying herself immensely, there was a little nagging feeling somewhere in the back of her head that could not equate this man or this date with the little ferret she knew from Hogwarts. Remembering their heated conversation from this morning where he had told her that he was no longer the boy she remembered from Hogwarts, Hermione tried to tell that nagging feeling just where to go. Still, there was something else that was bothering her.

"Draco?" She asked, suddenly coming to a stop at a point in front of the lake.

"Yes, Granger?" he replied.

"I'm having a little bit of a hard time putting some information together."

"Really? That does _not_ sound like you at all. Is there something I can assist you with?"

"I believe so, yes." She confirmed. While the wine at dinner at bolstered her some, she still needed to gather all of her courage for her next question. "Didn't you tell me just two weeks ago that there was another woman with whom you wished to spend some time with?"

"That is not quite how I remember the conversation going," he said to her. "However, wasn't it you who advised me that I should convey to her how I felt in order to get an honest indication of her feelings?"

"Why, yes. I did. It didn't go well, then?" Hermione was blushing furiously. She had agreed to go on a date with a man, not realising that she was nothing more than a consolation prize. She felt like an absolute dingbat.

"On the contrary, it went very well. In fact, she agreed to have dinner with me." He was laughing at her.

Even more stunned, Hermione wasn't sure if she should hit him or hex him. So she wasn't only a consolation prize, she was also a side piece? Well. That simply wouldn't do. Inside her head, she was raging at him for his arrogance and at herself for her naive stupidity. On the outside, she stood there unable to move except to gape at him.

"Hermione," he said with eyes still full of humour. "For someone so incredibly smart, you're not doing a great job of analysing this situation, are you?"

Oh, so he was adding insult to injury now. She started to walk away, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him, holding the hand not encumbered with her purse tightly to his chest. He put his other hand on her cheek and said: "I was talking about you. I've only _ever_ been talking about you."

"Oh," Hermione mumbled, honestly shocked. Never in her wildest dreams did Hermione ever think that those words could come out of his mouth.

"Hermione, I would really like to kiss you now," he said with a question in his eyes, his hand on her cheek moved as he tipped her chin up with his thumb and forefinger.

Hermione's breath caught in her throat and she heard herself squeak a small "Okay," and suddenly his lips were on hers in a soft embrace. Kissing Draco Malfoy in reality was so unlike kissing Draco Malfoy in her fantasy. It was different in the most sensational way. He wasn't probing or forceful, instead, he was hesitant, gentle and careful of not taking too much, too soon. Hermione felt like she had been hit with a spell and she decided that while the kiss was sweet, sweet was not what she wanted at that moment so she threw her arms around his neck, bringing him closer to her and deepening the kiss, setting them both alight with her passion.

When they came up for air a minute or maybe an hour later, Draco pressed his forehead against hers and breathed her in. "I can't believe that just happened. It was like something out of a dream," he confessed.

"Yes," she was catching her breath. He had no idea how right he was on that one.

"Oh, you've dropped your bag," he said, bending down to pick it up.

"Oh no!" Hermione exclaimed when she saw that she had not only dropped the bag, but it had burst open upon its collision with the ground and there was a mess of cash and condoms scattered all around them. She hid her face in her hands as Draco chuckled, gathering all of her lost items and replacing them in the bag to hand back to her.

"I had no idea that I was in for such a good night," he smirked at her.

She slapped him lightly on the arm. "They're not _mine_! My flatmate, Andy, she forced them on me right before you rang the doorbell. The purse was the only place I could hide them before I answered the door."

"Hermione, you _do remember_ that you're a witch, right? You could have vanished them faster than it would have taken to close the bag."

"Oh my goodness. You're absolutely right. I'm such an idiot," Hermione said, reverting to hiding her face in her hands again.

"Were you nervous when I rang the doorbell?"

"Very," she confessed.

"Well, that's adorable. I _could_ get used to that," another smile. "Should we go home? I promise to drop you straight to your door, no funny business," he softly stroked Hermione's arm, smirking all the while.

While Hermione had definitely not planned to go to bed with Draco this evening, his promise not to ravish her tonight left her somewhat wanting. She took his hand and they walked slowly back to the waiting car.

Once in the back seat of the vehicle, Draco put his arm around her shoulders and Hermione obligingly snuggled into his side. She couldn't believe how at ease she had felt this whole evening. After her initial nerves wore off and she felt like she could talk to him like a level-headed adult, the night had sailed by on smooth waters. Somehow being with Draco felt as natural to her as holding a book in her hands, which, to Hermione, was incredibly romantic.

"I feel extraordinarily comfortable with you, Draco. After just one date, this is inexplicable to me."

He brushed his lips against her forehead and pulled her closer to his side. "It feels like coming home," he said. "Like all the pieces of the puzzle are finally in the right place."

"Yes," she breathed. "Exactly like that." Hermione moved a hand to the back of his head and brought it down to meet her lips in a slow dance that ignited a fire below her stomach. Draco groaned and shifted positions, somehow maneuvering her on top of him in the limited space of the car. The kiss grew heavier and faster with wanton desire from both parties. Draco and Hermione were so wrapped up in each other that neither had noticed that the car had come to a stop and the engine turned off until the door was opened and a cool breeze rushed in. A throat was cleared and an apology muttered while Hermione attempted to disentangle herself from Draco's arms and legs. Both feeling somewhat sheepish, they thanked the driver, wished him a good night and all but flew inside the building, slamming the front door behind them and bursting into laughter. Hermione had rarely heard Draco fully laugh before, its deep rumble boomed around her in the most pleasant way and she decided that it was her favourite sound in the world. Wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, she took his hand and together they ascended the staircase. When they arrived on the second floor, Draco attempted to veer towards Hermione's apartment, but she tugged his hand and gave a pointed look at the staircase. "I'd like to see your apartment if that's ok with you?" She plastered a sweet smile on her face.

Draco raised his eyebrows at her. "Would you like some coffee?" he asked.

"Sounds delightful," she replied with a grin as they continued up the stairs.

It turned out that the entire fifth floor was Draco's apartment. For someone who mostly still lived in another location, Hermione was curious as to why so much space was needed. "You said you'd like to see the apartment, yes?" Draco confirmed once they stood on the threshold. "Would you like a tour?"

Hermione nodded in affirmative, "Very much so," she said.

The apartment was all gleaming hardwood floors with well placed Persian rugs, large, comfortable looking furniture and to Hermione's delight, an entire wall of the living area was an recessed bookcase, filled to the brim with different tomes. Draco pointed down a hallway "There are two bedrooms through there and also a bathroom." Facing the other way, he pointed to another hallway. "Through that way is my bedroom, bathroom and office. The kitchen is this way," he said walking further into the apartment. "Feel free to have a look around. I'll get the coffee on," he told her.

Hermione glanced in the direction that he said his bedroom was, but the bookcase beckoned her and she found herself running her hands across the various volumes, sighing with pleasure whenever she came across one long since out of print. She was so absorbed with her task that she didn't hear Draco place two mugs on the table, nor his footsteps as he came up behind her. She jumped when he placed his hands on her hips and bit her bottom lip, remembering how they felt in that exact place when they had first met after so many years in the club. "I thought you might like this wall," his lips were next to her ear and his words sent shivers down her spine.

"These books, Draco, they're incredible!"

"Just wait until you see the library at the Manor," he told her.

Hermione froze. She didn't want to go to the Malfoy Manor ever again in her life. While she certainly did not blame Draco for what had happened to her there, she knew she could never step foot in that house again without the memory of Bellatrix and a knife assaulting her from every angle. Her sudden change of body language did not go unnoticed by Draco and he pulled her to his chest, wrapping his arms around her body. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to upset you. You will never have to go there if you don't want to. I'll bring the books to you, one by one." He promised her.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Hermione felt a tear slip from her eye. She swiped at it and spun in Draco's arms, squeezing him back. "Thank you," she said and kissed him lightly on the mouth.

"Don't mention it," he smiled down at her, leading her over to the sofa and handing her a coffee cup.

Hermione took the cup from him and had a small sip. The coffee was terrible and she hoped her face didn't tell him that. It was a good thing that he had people in his cafes and restaurants who _did_ know how to make food and beverages because he certainly did _not._ She placed the cup back on the coffee table. "I didn't come here for the coffee, Draco." She told him.

"Oh? And what is it that you _did_ come here for?" he asked, a single eyebrow raised and placed his own cup down next to hers.

"Your company," she said simply with a shrug. She stood up and walked in the direction of his bedroom, slipping her shoes off on the way. Draco sat motionless on the couch, stunned. Once in the hallway, Hermione took a chance with the two doors and turned right, unzipping the side of her dress as she went. She opened the door at the end of the hall and found a decadent bedroom. Plush black carpet, white walls with a black gloss trim, a walk in robe, ensuite bathroom and a four-poster bed. She dropped her dress by the door and sat on the bed, legs crossed in what she hoped was a sexy pose and waited patiently for Draco to join her.

It took about thirty seconds before he appeared in the doorway. He looked down at Hermione's discarded dress and then up to her, sitting on the bed, clad in barely-there red lace. His breath caught in his throat and he knew he had gone bone stiff. He wanted her and badly. He had been waiting six odd years for this moment. Still, he knew it was too soon for her and he did not want her to regret this decision. "Hermione," he said, almost breathless. "You are far too beautiful for someone like me. I don't know how I could ever hope to deserve you."

Hermione blushed, feeling somewhat ridiculous in her state of undress with him still standing so far away, fully dressed, just looking at her. When he bent to pick up her dress, Hermione slid off of the bed and moved over to him. "Draco. You're a far better man than what you give yourself credit for." She took the dress from his hands and dumped it back on the floor. No longer in heels, she had to reach on her tiptoes to get her hands fastened around his neck. Standing as close to him as she was, it was impossible not to feel his desire for her against her stomach, so while his hands remained at his side, she kissed him with fervour in an attempt to get a response. Reluctant at first, Draco eventually lifted his hands to her back and returned the kiss. However, when she tried to move their embrace back towards the bed, Draco placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed down, causing her to break the kiss.

"Hermione, we have time. There is no need to rush this. I want to be careful with you, treat you with respect, show you how important and _special_ you are to me. Now is not the right time for this," he said gently.

Hurt and embarrassed, Hermione turned away from him and tried to process his words and come to a rational decision. It was like she could imagine the old demon on one shoulder and angel on the other. The demon was encouraging her to go ahead and seduce him while the angel was persuading her that while her flesh may long for one thing right now, maybe Draco was right and now wasn't the best time for this. She had, after all, never intended for this to happen tonight. Neither of them moved for a few moments until Hermione said: "Would you hand me my dress, please?"

Draco obliged and held the dress ready for her to step into. Once she was all zipped up and secured, Draco pulled her to him again. "I _do_ want you, Hermione. I just want it to be right when it happens for the first time. I've been thinking about this moment for a long time and I have no intention of messing it up."

Hermione nodded against his chest. "Ok," she conceded. "Will you take me home?"

"Of course," he said with a kiss on top of her head.

Draco walked her to her apartment door, holding her hand. He watched her as she searched the small bag for her keys. "Spend the day with me tomorrow?" He asked, sounding hopeful.

Hermione found her keys and looked up at him, searching his eyes. Her pride was still smarting from the earlier bedroom incident, but she did want to spend more time with him. "What time are you picking me up?"

"How does eight thirty sound? We can start with breakfast."

Eight thirty sounded ridiculously early for a Sunday morning, but Hermione was willing to compromise in order to spend more time with Draco. If she could forget about a minor loss of dignity, she might actually be able to enjoy herself tomorrow.

"Sounds good," she said.

"Good," he replied. "I'll see you then," he bent down and gave her a sweet goodnight kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Goodnight," Hermione said, slipping her keys into the lock and opening the door. Surprised that Andy wasn't waiting up for a play by play, Hermione went directly to her bedroom, collapsed on her bed and hid her face in her pillow. This was going to be a long night.


	8. Die Another Day

Sunday morning arrived after a lot of tossing and turning for Hermione. When seven thirty arrived, she hauled herself out of bed and stood under a steaming stream of hot water, wishing that alone would take care of the bags under her eyes. Luckily there was a spell for that. Eventually, the hot water worked its own kind of magic and Hermione began to feel the sleepless night slip away and down the drain. Hermione dried herself off, pulled on a pair of jeans, some brown boots and an over-sized white knit jumper. Back in the bathroom, she took her wand and waved it over her face in a small glamour charm before she used it as a curler while it emitted hot air.

Dressed and ready with ten minutes to spare, Hermione made her way into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Thankfully Andy was already there and the coffee already brewing, Hermione plonked herself down on a breakfast stool and watched Andy go about her breakfast preparations.

"You're up early for a Sunday morning," Hermione said to Andy.

"Well, I got to bed unusually early last night. How was the date?"

"The date was actually really amazing. We have so much in common and once we were over the initial awkwardness, everything just clicked into place." Hermione accepted the cup of coffee that Andy offered her.

"Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd?" Andy was wiggling her eyebrows at Hermione.

Hermione, in turn, raised her eyebrows back at Andy and decided to keep last night's humiliation to herself. "Annnnd nothing. We had a very nice evening and we shared some intimate moments -"

"Tell me about the intimate moments!"

" - intimate moments that I will not elaborate on, thank you very much."

Andy visibly deflated and turned back to the bench top where she was chopping ingredients for what looked to be an omelette. "Do you want some breakfast to go with the coffee that you're guzzling? You look cute, by the way. What are your plans for the day?"

"No, thank you. Actually, I'm spending the day with Draco. We're starting off with breakfast," Hermione said as Andy froze, the knife hovering over a tomato. "He should be here any minute. Andy? Are you okay?"

Andy put the knife down and started to wipe her hands on her apron. "Yes, everything is fine. My bladder has just alerted me to an urgent situation."

"Oh," Hermione said, watching Andy struggle to untie the knot of her apron as the doorbell rang. Andy's eyes darted to her bedroom as Hermione crossed from the kitchen to the front door, glancing back to look at Andy's strange behaviour all the while.

When Hermione opened the door, she leaned back just in case she was assaulted with another large bouquet of flowers. Instead, Draco was just standing there looking absolutely perfect in dark blue pair of jeans and light grey sweater, white collar poking out at the top and a black coat slung over his arm. Hermione momentarily forgot about Andy's strange behaviour as her insides turned to liquid.

"Good morning," he smiled down at her, giving her a light kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning," she echoed. "Come on in. Meet my flatmate, Andy."

Andy had returned to her cooking by the time Hermione and Draco arrived in the kitchen, facing the stove with her back turned to them. Hermione cleared her throat to get her attention. "Andy, this is Draco," Andy finally turned around and gave Draco a wobbly smile.

"Nice to meet you," she said, extending her hand in greeting. Draco took the proffered hand with a firm grip.

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Andy. It smells terrific in here."

"Oh well, thank you. I'd invite you to stay, but I hear that you two already have plans."

"Unfortunately, we do. However, I think we may have to schedule a dinner here one evening if it's no imposition?"

"Oh, well, sure. We'll see what happens," Andy said before she turned back to the stove. "Have a great day, guys," she said in dismissal. Draco and Hermione exchanged a look and exited the apartment.

"Are you sure that is the same Andy that you were telling me about last night?"

"I'm fairly certain it is, yes. Maybe she isn't much of a morning person?" Hermione tried. Andy's sudden change of behaviour, not just this morning but also last night whenever Draco's name was mentioned was very, very strange. "You know, she actually reacted super strangely when she heard your name for the first time last night and again this morning when I told her you were coming over. It was like she wanted to run away both times."

They were outside now and walking down the side path, hand in hand.

"Hmm. That's very odd, indeed. You said that she was a muggle, right?"

"Well, I haven't come out and asked her, but I think it's pretty safe to assume she is. I mean, she lives in muggle London."

"So do we."

"Yes, ok. However, she is only a few years older than us. Surely we would at least recognise her from Hogwarts?"

"She could have gone to Beauxbatons, Durmstrang or even Ilvermorny."

"Well, that might be true but you'd think that if she spent seven years in another country, her accent would be affected. Instead, she sounds as if she has never left London."

"You've got me there," Draco admitted. "Could it be possible that she is putting the accent on?"

"I guess that would be possible but there is absolutely no hint of anything magical in that apartment. I really think that she is a muggle, Draco."

Draco was opening the door to a small cafe and guiding Hermione into a booth. A waiter appeared and handed them a menu each. "The breakfast menu is on the last page. Can I get you something to drink?"

"A cappuccino for me, please." Hermione requested.

"A double espresso, thank you," Draco ordered.

The waiter gave a small nod and disappeared behind the counter to make the coffee and Draco picked their conversation back up. "So if you're so sure that Andy is a muggle and I only exist as Draco in the Wizarding World, why does she flinch at the mere mention of my name and morph from a ball of fun, welcoming energy to a shy woman who says the bare minimum?"

"Honestly, I have no idea," Hermione shrugged, opening her menu.

After Draco and Hermione finished their breakfast, they made their way to the nearest Apparition Point and Disapparated to Oxford Street for a morning of shopping. This involved a lot of walking in and out of designer stores, the sales clerks all falling over themselves to assist Draco with whatever his needs may be. Hermione was concerned that her eyes may end up glued permanently skyward from all of the eye-rolling she did. Every now and then Hermione would come across an item in one of those stores that she actually liked and she would pick at it while Draco finished up with the salespeople. Thankfully they did not have to lug the many bags around for the rest of the day as Draco was having them all delivered to his apartment. They had been shopping for a couple of hours before Draco looked at Hermione and frowned. "You're bored. I'm sorry. I thought you would enjoy shopping"

"What makes you think I would like shopping?" Hermione grinned at him, knowing what his answer would be.

"I feel like I'm walking into a trap here, so I think I am going to avoid answering that question. Where would you like to go?"

"I do have an idea, but I'm not sure what you'll think about it," Hermione said.

"The intrigue," he smirked.

"Have you ever been to the cinema before?"

"The cinema?"

"Yes. It's a very common thing for muggles to do on a date. You take a seat in the movie theatre and watch a film. I guess the best way to explain it is a lot of our moving photographs, but with sound, all stitched together to make a story. It's something I really enjoy, would you like to experience it?"

"It sounds truly terrifying. Let's go!"

"Wonderful," Hermione grinned, taking his hand and heading towards the nearest cinema.

Draco stood gazing at all of the posters and cardboard cutouts that advertised all of the different movies from the past, present and future, completely overwhelmed. Hermione was buying tickets for a film about an English spy with a license to kill and a penchant for meeting women who fall into bed easily.

"Okay," Hermione appeared next to his side, holding two tickets. "We're all set to go. I just have to warn you, though, the sounds in the film will be loud and sometimes it might seem as though things are going to rush through the screen and hit you. I promise they won't, but I do not promise to not laugh at you should you jump out of your seat. You should probably let me hold on to your _wand_ during the movie!" Hermione was smirking at Draco.

Draco raised an eyebrow at her. " _Which_ wand are you referring to, Miss Granger?"

"Draco Malfoy, I'm shocked!" Hermione feigned innocence, "I was, _of course_ , referring to the magical kind!"

"Just making sure," Draco slung his arm around Hermione's shoulders and they headed for the candy bar.

*

"Well, that was just as terrifying as I thought it would be," Draco said as they exited the cinema.

"You didn't like the film? James Bond is a very popular series of books and movies in the muggle world. I thought you might enjoy the storyline and the action."

"Oh, no. I thought it was brilliant, it just took me a little while to adjust to the -" Draco started waving his hands through the air, searching for the right words "- whole experience."

"Well, I'm glad you ended up enjoying the _experience_ ," Hermione smiled up at him. "What time is it?"

"I think it is around four, why?"

"I'm feeling a little bit hungry. We haven't really eaten anything decent since breakfast, are you hungry?"

"A little, I guess, but it is a bit too early for dinner. The dinner reservation isn't until seven."

"Let's go to the Borough Markets," Hermione suggested. "We can just get something small and they have everything there!"

Instead of disapparating to the closest Apparition Point to the market, Hermione had a fun time showing Draco how to use the public transport system. They bought their tickets at an Underground dispenser and used the Tube system to get to The Borough Markets.

When they entered the market space, they were assaulted with the many different smells of various international cooking. "It looks like every country in the world is represented here," Draco commented as they walked around, trying to decide what the best mid-afternoon snack would be. Hermione came to an abrupt stop by the mulled wine kiosk, breathing in the warming scent of red wine, citrus and spices.

"Do you like mulled wine, Draco?" she asked him.

"I've never had it," he admitted to her.

"Well, it is absolutely delicious and also a pretty fantastic way of warming up on a cold day," Hermione informed him, asking the vendor for one foam cup. "Here, try this and if you like it, we'll get you another, because I'm not sharing," she winked at him.

Draco sniffed the warm drink before tasting it. The expression on his face indicated that he did not like the mulled wine at all. "I think I'll stick to the warm cider," he told her and ordered a drink of his own.

Twenty minutes later they had found adequate seating and were thoroughly enjoying the small French cheese plate they were sharing, delighted to find that they both enjoyed the smellier varieties that cheese had to offer. Hermione was still pondering over the Andy situation with some brie smeared over an apple slice poised half way to her mouth when Draco asked her if everything was ok. Hermione nodded and popped the apple and brie combination in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully before speaking.

"Do you have any distant relatives that you've never met?" She asked him.

"Yes, of course. However, I have seen our family tree a few times too many and I don't believe that there is any relative, distant or otherwise, in our generation that I don't know the name of. The Malfoy family is notoriously strict with recording our lineage. Are you thinking of your flatmate again?"

"Yes. I was just curious because I just remembered that a few weeks ago we were joking about something and when she looked up at me, I was reminded of you, that's all."

"Well, she does have short blonde hair and blue-grey eyes. I would like to think that I am much more manly looking than she is, though," Draco smirked at her. "But having the same colour hair and eyes hardly means we're related."

Hermione pursed her lips at him. "Well, I know that. It had nothing to do with her hair or the colour of her eyes, though. It was the twinkle in her eyes and the way she pulled the right side of her lip up in a cheeky, snarky way that reminded me of you!"

"My eyes twinkle and the right side of my mouth looks cheeky and snarky at the same time. Why, Miss Granger, you flatter me. I had no idea that you took such notice of my facial expressions - particularly several weeks ago," he was smirking at her again, eyes twinkling and lip muscles behaving exactly as she had just described to him.

Hermione blushed furiously and turned her attention back to the cheese, working a slice of Comte from the small wedge that they had and drizzling it with honey. "Well Draco," she started, still focused on her task. "You'll probably be even more flattered to know that while my feelings for you are relatively recent, my attraction to you is not. Let's just leave it at that for now, shall we?" Hermione risked a peek up at him, head still bent down, curls hiding her face. She expected to find a fully fledged smirk in place, or at least a wide, cheeky grin. What she saw instead, sent a chill through her skin that settled in her bones. Draco was staring at her like he'd been lost in the desert for days and she was an oasis. Hermione's mouth went dry as she took in his facial expression, she stared back at him until his eyes cleared and he swallowed audibly.

"Is everything ok, Draco?" She asked him.

"Er, yes. Everything is fine. You just caught me off guard for a moment, that's all."

"What? Did you think that when you asked me to dinner yesterday it was the first time I'd ever looked at you and that I swooned on the spot?"

"Well, honestly, I really thought that I'd never crossed your mind as anything more than an annoyance before a few weeks ago. I didn't really expect you to agree to go to dinner with me yesterday. I was pretty shitty to you all those years at Hogwarts and I guess I just thought that I wouldn't be able to redeem myself after all of that."

Hermione stood up and moved to Draco's side of the table. She took his hands and pulled him to a standing position before she placed her hands on each side of his face. "Draco Malfoy, you were a spoiled brat of a child who thought the world owed you all it had to offer. You took an immediate dislike to me because I was friendly with a person who was more popular than you _and_ as an added bonus, I had the gall to be muggle-born, which is something you were taught to believe as inferior. So when this little inferior witch started to outsmart you in all of your classes, you reacted in the only way a spoiled brat of a child knows how to. But, Draco, that child grew up and started to develop his own ideas in response to the things he saw and learned and the life he was living. When you were able to, you stood up for what you thought was right and you did it in a way that kept everyone involved safe. That included me and your actions on that night had pretty major consequences. Good consequences. Draco, you are a good man and for the record, I started to look at you with more than simple annoyance somewhere around Fifth year." Hermione finished her little speech and punctuated it with a soft, sweet kiss on the mouth.

"You _are_ far too good for me, Hermione Granger. I do not see things the same way that you see them, but then again, that is all part of the allure of you. While I love that you continuously surprise me, I look forward to the day that I know you so well, that I will know what you're thinking before you even think it."

"Well, I hate to be predictable, so I hope that day never comes," Hermione grinned at him. Draco pulled her close to him, fitting her body against his and took her mouth captive once more.


	9. When I Get That Feeling

It had been just over a month since Draco had taken Hermione on their first date and time was flying by. Things were going really well with Draco but they still hadn't taken the next step into _intimate_ relations, which was starting to become a frustration for Hermione - in more ways than one. Having said that, she was still managing to fall for him - hard and fast. Hermione was also in the process of packing up her desk and finishing up her assignments in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures while fielding flying memos from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

When the clock chimed five, Hermione heaved a sigh of relief and retrieved her shiny new bag from the bottom drawer of her desk. She smiled at the memory of when she returned home after her whole day date with Draco and discovered that every single item that she had touched or even glanced at during those hours of shopping, was placed in a box or a bag in her bedroom. Even the things that she had looked at simply because she thought they were hideous. She had turned tail and marched herself straight up the stairs to Draco's apartment. Hermione pounded on his door incessantly with one fist while she balanced a slew of new apparel on her other arm. He opened the door with a look of deep concern on his face which turned into utter bewilderment as Hermione brandished his purchases at him, speechless.

"Is something wrong?" He asked her.

"Well, yes. Something _is_ wrong, actually. You had half of your shopping delivered to my apartment instead of yours."

"Well, that is because they're the things that I bought for you. I asked the sales clerks to take note of everything you liked and to add it to my account," he shrugged. "It's all for you," he smiled.

"Draco, I really appreciate the thought and I know it comes from a good place, but I can't accept all of this."

"Why not?"

"Well, for one thing, it's far too much. I didn't go out with you today because of your money or because I want you to buy me things," she told him.

"I like buying you things, it's the only way I know how to show you my affection," he confessed.

Hermione sighed, anger deflating, realising that it was probably true that in his family, money was the biggest talker. She walked over to the sofa and deposited her armload there before walking back over to Draco and taking his hands in her own. "Draco, I can show you plenty of other ways in which you can show me your affection," she smiled at him and drew him in for a lingering kiss. "And that's not the only way you can show me," she winked at him. "Honestly, Draco. Just spending time together, talking and laughing, an evening in front of the fire, both absorbed in our own books, sounds perfect to me. Picnics in the park, cinema dates, simple things like that will show me that you care." She kissed him lightly again. "I can't keep the things you bought me, Mr Malfoy."

"Please keep them," he almost pleaded.

"Draco, I actually really don't even like most of it. I was just entertaining myself while you took care of the things you needed to," she confessed.

"Well, keep the things you like and we'll send back the things you don't. It's a compromise," he said, eyes twinkling.

Hermione sighed, it was a compromise, after all, so she found herself agreeing to keep some of the things. Which is how she came to have the shiny new handbag.

Hermione arrived home to an empty apartment, yet again. Andy had been gone for a month on a business trip to France without an end date and she was beginning to really miss her bubbly companionship. While Hermione would like to fill her free time with Draco, he was busy with networking and buying businesses. He was planning to transition from Oliver Nott to Draco Malfoy in the muggle world in the New Year and there was a lot more preparation involved in that than what you would think. So instead, she had invited Harry and Ginny over for dinner this evening. She had set the table, opened the wine to let it breathe and ordered takeaway from a great local Italian restaurant. Tonight was the night she was planning to tell them that she had been seeing Draco pretty consistently and that she thought that the relationship had the potential to get pretty serious. Hermione was nervous. Very nervous. Harry was still very, very close with Ron and of course, Hermione was still very conscious of Ginny's reaction when she first mentioned being attracted to Draco.

When the doorbell rang, Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin. Inhale and exhale, she told herself. Just breathe. These people are your best friends in the entire world. If you're happy, they'll be happy. With that thought in her head, she answered the door with a smile on her face.

After greeting Harry and Ginny, Hermione moved them to the couch while she went to the kitchen where she prepared three Gin and Tonics for them to sip on while they waited for the food to be delivered.

"So how is everything with work?" Hermione asked Ginny.

"Oh, it's a nightmare!" Ginny said. "It's getting so cold now, that when we're so high in the air, the air is practically frozen and we're all getting smacked in the face with hail and snowflakes stuck in our eyelashes. I can't wait for the winter season to be over," Ginny whined while managing to keep a grin plastered on her face.

"Oh, you love it," said Harry, nudging her with his elbow, also grinning.

"Sounds like a lot of fun," Hermione teased, standing to buzz the delivery person into the building and sticking her head out of the front door, waiting for the food. Hermione exchanged cash for the bags of food and gestured for Harry and Ginny to join her at the dining table, where she laid out the cannelloni, salads and garlic bread and put the dessert in the fridge.

The three of them sat down at the table and Ginny started dolling out the cannelloni and Harry started with the salad. Hermione, feeling outdone in her own home, decided to divvy up the garlic bread on to each of their plates and to pour the wine.

"So," Harry cleared his throat, picking up his knife and fork. "What's new with you Hermione?"

Hermione took a large gulp of the heavy red wine, "Well, I told you guys about the department transfer, right? That it's going ahead? Well, it is and things are just absolutely mental at the office at the moment, it's like I'm working for both departments at the same time. It's hard to separate work from work from home at the moment."

Harry and Ginny both nodded along while Hermione talked, inhaling the delicious food. When she finished describing her last assignment in the Beast department, she finally had an opportunity to pick up her knife and fork and cut into her pasta. Harry and Ginny took the reigns of the conversation, discussing Harry's latest case at the Ministry and how his team of Aurors finally managed to corner the group of dark wizards in a small town of Prague last week and how the duelling was short lived but loud, violent and witnessed by many muggles, some of which were still being tracked down to have their memories wiped of the event. Hermione put her cutlery down, picked up her wine glass again and cleared her throat.

"Harry, Ginny," Hermione looked at each of them and they both turned their attention to her, expectant. "I have something to tell you," she said. Ginny gently placed her cutlery down on her plate while Harry continued eating, face turned to her. Hermione took a deep breath and exhaled. "I've been seeing someone and I want to tell you about it," she said.

"Oh yeah?" Harry asked around a mouthful of salad.

"Who is it?" Ginny asked with a gleam in her eye that made Hermione hesitate before answering.

Hermione debated the pros and cons of breaking it to them gently but decided that the best policy was probably to just rip the band-aid off. "Draco Malfoy," she said with just a hint too much force. Harry dropped his cutlery on to his plate with a loud clang and Ginny reached for her wine glass.

"Draco?" Harry swallowed. "Malfoy?"

"Yes," Hermione confirmed with a nod and a sip of her own glass.

"Harry, Hermione saw him at a muggle dance club several weeks ago and she didn't exactly hate it," Ginny said and picked up her fork again to stab at her lettuce. Hermione swallowed. While she had expected a similar response to this, she had hoped for a little more optimism.

"Okay, so I know this is strange and unexpected and definitely not who you would have pictured me with, but you guys, he is not the same person he was at Hogwarts. Not at all the same person he was, in fact. He has matured, become an incredibly sweet and thoughtful man. He is so smart. He challenges me, encourages me and I know, trust me _I know_ , that he was an absolute troll to us at Hogwarts, but at some point, we have to leave the past in the past."

"Hermione, he plotted to kill Dumbledore and nearly killed Katie Bell _and_ Ron in the process," Harry said.

"Yes, and he was sixteen at the time, under an extreme amount of pressure with the threat of death hovering over him from the darkest wizard this world has ever known. May I remind you, Harry, that while you're one of the _good guys,_ " here Hermione inserted air quotes, "You also hexed Draco with a curse that nearly took his life?"

"I didn't know what _Sectumsempra_ did when I cast it," Harry protested.

"Well, you knew it wasn't _good_ ," Hermione retorted.

"Enough!" Ginny dropped both of her hands on the table in emphasis.

"Ginny, I-" Hermione started.

"Hermione," she interrupted. "Is he making you happy?"

Hermione let the tension drop from her shoulders and sighed. "Yes, Gin. He is making me very happy."

Ginny turned to Harry with a look on her face that said something like 'deal with it'. Harry absorbed the look his wife was giving him and swallowed once, turning back to Hermione. "So you think that this relationship is going somewhere?" Harry asked, picking up his knife and fork again.

Hermione smiled at him. "Yes, Harry, I _do_ think this relationship is going somewhere and I wanted to share how happy I am with my best friends," she looked from Harry to Ginny and back again, feeling some strong emotions taking up residence somewhere behind her tear ducts.

"Then I'm good with it," said Harry.

"As am I," Ginny agreed.

"Who is going to break it to Ron?" Harry asked.

Hermione took a deep breath to clear her sinuses and said, "Who wants some Tiramisu?"

* * *

Hermione and Draco were cuddled up in front of the fire in his apartment, sipping red wine and each enjoying their own books when Draco suddenly shifted position.

"What are your plans for New Year's Eve?" He asked her.

"Well, the Ministry has their annual party. I am expected to be in attendance," she told him.

Draco pondered that for a moment. "Are you allowed to bring a date?"

"Er, yes. I believe I am," Hermione said, suddenly feeling very anxious. "The thing is, Draco, that I am expected to be in attendance as part of the ' _Golden Trio'_ ," here Hermione hesitated. "Ron will be there," she explained, biting her lip.

"And you don't want him to know about us?"

"Er no, that's not it. I expect that he does already know. I told Harry and Ginny about us the other night and I believe that Harry has taken up the responsibility to break the news to Ron."

"So if Weasley already knows that we're together, then what is the problem?"

"It's not a problem _perse,_ but the rest of the Wizarding World doesn't know that we're together."

"And you don't want them to know because you're ashamed of me?" Draco's voice was suddenly harsh.

"No," Hermione huffed, responding to his indignant tone. "Draco, I am _not_ ashamed of you. I am very proud of you and very happy that we're together. The problem is that I was engaged to Ronald less than four months ago and while that relationship has been over for much more than four months in my eyes, I'm not entirely sure that he feels the same way, nor the rest of the general population. My concern is that witches and wizards everywhere may blame you for what happened between Ron and me, _and_ -" she raised her voice so that Draco would stop trying to interrupt her, "that they would see my new relationship in such a negative manner that it would bring nothing bad press for you and just ruin all of the hard work you have been doing."

"What if I don't care about any of that? What if all that mattered to me was that we were together and the world knew about it?" Draco swung his legs over the side of the sofa and stood up to pace.

"What if I just want to keep us in this perfect little bubble?" Hermione retorted.

"I want to keep the perfect and burst the bubble," Draco stared down at her, eyes ablaze.

Hermione stared back at him, running her hands through her curls while she thought about the situation, the circumstance and the consequences. "I'm not ready for that," she told him, voice quiet.

Draco landed in the one-seater, facing Hermione and put his head in his hands. Hermione wasn't really sure how their quiet little evening had turned into their first genuine conflict as a couple and as a result, wasn't sure what she should do with herself. Should she wish him a good night and return to her own apartment? Should she wait for him to make a move or say something? Should _she_ say something? Move over to him and take his hands from his head to hold in her own? Just as she had decided to disentangle herself from the blanket and say goodnight, he lifted his head and put his hands in his lap.

"I have waited for you for years, Hermione. I have waited for you without even _knowing_ I was waiting for you. I never even considered that you could ever want _me_ and now I finally feel like you do, I just want other people to know it, too." He smoothed his hair back over his head then changed his mind and ran his hand back the other way, mussing it up again. "I've waited so long, I'm scared I'm going to burst with the joy of having you near. I've waited so long that I think I can _probably_ wait a little while longer before we take things public, just as long as I know that this isn't something casual for you." Every part of Draco Malfoy was screaming vulnerability, from his dishevelled hair to his trembling voice, from his posture to his eyes. Hermione had only the briefest moments to wonder if he had ever been this vulnerable with anyone else before she had crossed the room and taken his lips with hers, kissing him ferociously, trying to make him feel the way he made her feel. Attempting to convey with her lips what she couldn't with her voice.

When they broke apart moments later, she managed to get some words out. "Draco, I've never felt less casual with anyone in my life." She searched his eyes, holding his face in her hands and watched as her words translated in his mind. "Hermione," he rasped, tucking her curls back behind her ears and claiming her lips as his once more.

Immediately, Hermione felt a difference to his kiss. It was like he had unlocked the door and let her in. Sparks raced through her veins as their tongues clashed back and forth, her hands made their way to his hair and he groaned. He pulled her closer to him, cupped her bum with his hands and used it as leverage to hoist her up, Hermione responded by wrapping her legs around his hips, immediately feeling his hardened length against her right thigh. A breath hitched in her throat as he began to make his way from the living room back through to his bedroom. They managed to bump into several walls on the trip through the apartment, but neither of them seemed to notice anything other than each other. Draco carefully deposited Hermione on the bed and broke the kiss, positioning his hands on either side of her on the bed, he hovered over her. "This isn't how I planned this," he panted. "Do you want to stop?"

In response, Hermione pulled his face back down to hers and kissed him deeply. "No," she breathed. "I most certainly do _not_ want to stop!" She sat up and began working the buttons on his shirt loose, slipping it off of his shoulders, before pulling her jumper over her head. She sat, mesmerised by his chest, porcelain white with thin silver scars crisscrossing in random places. Draco watched her closely for a clue as to what she was thinking at the sight of the permanent marks he had acquired in his sixth year at Hogwarts. The ones that Harry Potter had gifted him with. When she lifted a finger and traced one that led to his collarbone, he held his breath until she littered kisses in the same path that her finger just took. Relieved that she wasn't repulsed by the sight of them, he released his breath and was able to let himself drink in the sight of her. Dark curls gone wild, glazed eyes, bruised lips and a heaving chest covered in pink lace. She was a goddess. A goddess in his bed. He slipped off the bed and removed her socks, shoes already long forgotten in the living room. He placed his fingertips on the button of her jeans, looking back at her face for permission before removing them, too. When their eyes met, Hermione smiled and nodded at him to continue. Her underwear was a lacy match for her bra and he had to take a moment to catch his breath.

While he stood memorising how she looked at this moment, Hermione took the opportunity to stand and rid him of his remaining clothes in much the same fashion as he had done with her. As she was already on her knees, she took him into her mouth, licking up and down the sides before closing her mouth around the head and gently sucking, her hands placed on his hips for support. The moment she had touched him, Draco had groaned and his whole body had tensed. This was definitely not how he had planned for this moment to go, it was supposed to be all about her pleasure, not his, but damned if she wasn't good at what she was doing. His fingers were getting tangled in her curls and he was going to cum much too soon if he didn't break away from her now. She detached from him with a small popping sound and he drew her up to a standing position and kissed her thoroughly, tasting himself on her tongue as he gently pushed her back so that she landed on the bed and then got down on his own knees. He grasped her legs and pulled her forward on the bed until his face was full of soft pink lace. Hermione released a small squeal as she slid forward on the bed, but as soon as she felt his warm breath against her inner thighs, she relaxed with a small moan of consent. He surprised her by licking and sucking at her clit through the lace, the material causing pleasant friction, before his face disappeared from between her legs and he was sliding the thong off her hips and down her legs, throwing them across the room before resuming his squirm-inducing task. One of his fingers replaced his tongue on her clitoris, rubbing small, gentle circles while he redirected his tongue to her warm, wet insides, pushing and pulsing in and around her. Hermione's hands took turns fisting the sheets before moving back to her chest to pull her bra cups aside, exposing her taut nipples and massaging them. When she came, she did so inside his mouth with what felt like a cosmic explosion.

She was somehow aware of the smile on his face as he kissed the inside of her thighs and made his way back up on to the bed. Draco took one look at her bra askew, nipples hard and exposed and eyes staring up at him, full of lust and added this to his growing list of mental pictures of her that he never wanted to forget. His penis was throbbing with need, he had never been so turned on in his life. Suddenly Hermione sat up, reached around and unclasped her bra. She took his hands and pulled him down on to the bed, using the momentum to turn him on to his back. "That was the most intense orgasm I have ever had," she told him before kissing him soundly on the mouth and kissing a trail back down to his pulsing cock. She took him all the way into her mouth once before positioning herself over him and sinking down, filling herself with his length. They both groaned at the same time, taking a moment to feel each other fitting together perfectly, before Hermione started to move, setting a slow pace and using her hands to cup and pull at her breasts, feeling Draco all around her inside. Once Draco had slightly recovered from the feel of how tight and warm she was, he moved so that they were both sitting and latched his mouth on to hers as she picked up the pace that her hips were making. He replaced her hands on her perfect breasts with his own, with only a slight concern that he was being too rough as she mewled into his mouth. He wasn't sure that he could hold on too much longer, all of his senses were being overwhelmed by her, yet he wanted to make sure that she came again before he did, so he moved his mouth from her lips to her chest, sucking her lift nipple into his mouth before moving on to the right and spending some time there. He wedged his hand between their hips and found her clit again, he set a quick and steady pace there, rubbing her in figure eights until she was bucking wildly against him, biting her lip. He could feel her walls tightening and hoped to the gods that she was almost there because he knew he was.

"Oh," she squeaked. "Oh, oh, _yes_ , Draco."

He pushed firmly against her clit and felt her come undone around him, a second later he was pouring himself into her as she collapsed on top of him. Draco wasn't sure if they lay there, him soft inside her and mingled juices running down his legs for five minutes or five hours before she moved and covered his face with small kisses. "That was wonderful," she said, curling up next to him.

"You're perfect," he told her, kissing her forehead. "I had this all planned out, rose petals, hotel room, champagne, you get the gist," he said. "But for me, I don't think that could have gone better." He kissed her lightly on the lips when she turned her face up to look at him.

"I never needed all of that," she said. "I just needed you."

Energy spent, they kissed slowly for a minute or two. "I could just fall asleep here," Hermione said. "But as soon as my legs no longer feel like jelly, I'd really like a shower."

"Whatever you want, whenever you want, I'm yours," he smiled at her.


	10. Auld Lang Syne

In the end, Hermione had consented to Draco being her 'plus one' to the Ministry's New Years Eve party, with the specification that he was there as a friend and not a date. Hermione also asked Draco if he could manage to spend most of the evening mingling with the people he wished to, and to avoid being in close proximity to one Ronald Bilius Weasley where possible and to not be photographed with her unless absolutely necessary. Draco grudgingly agreed to all of Hermione's terms but extracted his own promise in return - that she would accompany him to a hotel straight after the party. Hermione had absolutely no issues agreeing to his terms whatsoever.

Working on New Year's Eve always felt as pointless to Hermione as working on Christmas Day. There was too much buzz in the air and witches and wizards flitted from one desk to another, visiting with each other and gossiping, excited for the festivities to begin. Hermione had silenced her office space and cast a repelling charm around the area. She was so close to finishing her last report for the Beasts division, that she could afford no distractions. She would round out her year in one Department and begin the new year fresh in the next.

When she was finished her report, her stomach grumbled loudly to remind her that she hadn't eaten since breakfast and it was now after three in the afternoon. She sealed her report in an envelope and cleared out her desk, placing all of her personal items in her handbag, undetectable extension charm already in place. She removed the repelling charm from the office space, report clutched in both hands and dawdled across the office floor, soaking in the details and the faces. In all the years she had spent working on this level, she had barely put in the time to get to know her coworkers, so caught up in her work as she was. Hermione deposited the report on the Department Head's desk and walked to the elevators with her head held high.

* * *

Hermione hated black tie events. The hours of preparation that went into them, magic or no magic was purely exhausting. For example, you could never just walk into the first store you see and find the perfect dress. Shopping to find a dress you liked, followed by shoes to match could take hours. Then you had to figure out how to wear your hair and how to do your makeup and this was just not an area that Hermione excelled in. As a result, Hermione spent far too much time charming her hair and makeup in various ways until she found a combination that felt right with her dress. The dress which she loved the look of but hated to walk in. The navy blue velvet flattered her body yet the fishtail bottom got caught up in her legs and irritated her so much that she was considering slashing it off when the doorbell rang. With a sigh, she gathered her coat and bag and went to greet Draco.

When Hermione opened the door, Draco sucked in a large breath of air. "You look incredible," he told her with a kiss on the cheek.

Hermione blushed and decided that maybe the fishtail bottom wasn't quite as bad as she had originally thought.

Draco stepped into her apartment and closed the door behind him. "However," he continued, "I do believe that you are missing just a touch of sparkle around your neck."

The famous Malfoy smirk was firmly in place as he waved his wand and a stunning drop necklace arranged itself around Hermione's neck and settled itself perfectly in the middle of her decolletage. The chain of the necklace was long and fully encrusted with white jewels, while the eye catcher of the piece was without a doubt the large teardrop yellow diamond that gleamed against the navy velvet that covered her chest.

"Do you like it, Granger?" he asked her, still smirking but this time at the look of wonder on her face.

"Draco, it's the most wonderful piece of jewellery that I have ever laid my eyes on," she gushed. "But I can't accept this, it must have cost you a fortune! What if something happens to it?"

"Firstly, it hasn't cost me a single sickle. It's a from the family treasury. Secondly, if it will make you feel better about wearing it tonight, you could just consider it on loan? Thirdly, it has a very strong charm on it that dictates that only a Malfoy can undo the clasp and therefore it is protected against theft and from simply falling off of your neck. Which brings me to my final point of you not being able to remove it without my help, no matter how hard you try, so you might as well swallow your pride because it will be on your neck until I see fit to remove it this evening," he finished with a wink.

Hermione stewed on this information for a moment before deciding that so long as Draco wasn't gifting her with this enormous piece of jewellery, she could probably get through one night of wearing it.

"Okay," she nodded. "But as soon as you remove it tonight, you send it straight back to that treasury!"

"Deal," Draco took her in his arms and pulled her in for a lingering kiss.

"Ready?" Hermione asked, a little breathless.

"Ready," Draco confirmed and together they disapparated to the Ministry.

The din of the party could be heard from the floor above and Hermione stole a nervous glance at Draco as the lift arrived on level one, where the whole floor served as the reception room for the New Year's Eve party. Draco returned her glance with a look that reassured her that tonight would be a good night. As they stepped off of the lift, Draco placed his hand on the small of her back in a manner of chivalry as they both glanced up into a flash of light followed closely by a twirl of greying blonde ringlets.

"Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy. How _delightful_! Are you attending tonight's festivities together?" Rita Skeeter positively purred in their direction.

"Miss Granger has politely allowed me to accompany her tonight in order to assist me with some business networking," Draco replied diplomatically.

"All work and no play makes Draco a dull boy," Rita pouted back at him, clearly unhappy with his response.

"A Malfoy is never one to shirk his responsibilities, Rita," Draco gave her a winning smile as he swept Hermione out of view from both Rita and her camera, but not before Rita could loudly inquire as to the necklace Hermione was 'sporting'.

"What about this necklace has got that beetle's knickers in a twist?" Hermione asked him.

"Probably just it's monetary value," Draco assured her. "Ah, Weasley is headed straight for us. I guess I'll make myself scarce," Draco whispered and was long gone before Ron made his way through the crowd to greet Hermione.

Hermione was vaguely aware of another camera flash as she clasped arms with Ron and he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I think we need to have a private word, don't you think?" he whispered in her ear as they shared a platonic hug. Hermione nodded but released his arms. "Just not right now, okay? There are cameras everywhere not to mention that bloody Skeeter woman is skulking around here somewhere. Let's wait until a little later when we're not quite so interesting any more, alright?"

"Alright," Ron agreed. "But we _will_ discuss this tonight," he added firmly.

Hermione slid her eyes up to his and gave another nod in the affirmative. "I promise."

"Hermione," Harry greeted her with a kiss on each cheek, closely followed by an enveloping hug from Ginny, who then pulled all of them into a group hug. "Let's just all play nice," she grinned at them before breaking the embrace. A floating tray of drinks made its way through the crowd and Hermione gladly swiped a glass of white wine from it before it disappeared.

The four friends clinked their glasses together in a toast to the New Year and went about trying to enjoy the party. Sometimes they would greet other guests and have conversations together and at other times, they would meet a new acquaintance and be off on their own.

It took several hours before Hermione finally made her way back to Draco's side. He seemed to be in a heated conversation with an elderly gentleman whom Hermione did not recognise, yet she wanted to see him briefly before she was expected to be on stage with Harry and Ron for the midnight toast. Hermione caught Draco's eye and he gestured for her to join him in the conversation. She approached, feeling somewhat apprehensive considering the pink colour on both men's faces. When she reached Draco's side, she plastered a smile on her face and extended her hand in greeting to the unknown man. He took her hand and gave it a firm squeeze but kept the unpleasant look on his face.

"Hermione, this is my Grandfather, Abraxas Malfoy. Grandfather, this is Hermione Granger."

Abraxas Malfoy released Hermione's hand and grimaced at her. "My dear," he started. "At the beginning of this evening, I would have been delighted to make your acquaintance. You, the brightest witch of the age, the heroine of the war and a muggle born no less. Yet, you arrive with my one and only Grandson, wearing -"

"Grandfather, please! Not now," Draco whispered harshly. "She doesn't even know. I didn't tell her about it. Let's not make a scene!"

Hermione looked from one Malfoy to the other, trying and failing to piece together some obviously missing information. "I'm so sorry that I have offended you, Mr Malfoy. I'd very much appreciate the opportunity to sit down and discuss this," here Hermione wavered in conviction, not knowing what it was that needed to be discussed, yet she powered on. "Further. However, I have to be on that stage in just a few moments for the speech and countdown. I hope to see you afterwards," she smiled confidently at Malfoy senior and gave Malfoy junior a questioning look before turning tail and heading for the stage.

When Hermione joined Harry and Ron at the bottom of the steps to the stage, Kingsley was just wrapping up his speech and getting ready to introduce the three of them to the stage.

"I bloody hate this," Ron said to them.

"At least you're not the one who has to give the damn speech," Harry reminded him.

"Right. Right," Ron shuffled his feet nervously.

"Please welcome to the stage: Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter," Minister Shacklebolt led the party-goers in a round of applause as the trio made their way up on stage to stand in front of the podium, each taking a turn in shaking the Minister's hand.

"Thank you, Minister Shacklebolt," Harry started after using the Sonorous charm to amplify his voice. "It is such a pleasure to be here tonight with all of you to ring in the New Year. Even though we have celebrated several New Year's Eves together since our victory over Voldemort and the Death Eaters, I still feel so lucky that we can live in this peaceful era together. Let's continue to work together to keep the Wizarding World safe, happy and prosperous. Congratulations on working together and a have a Happy New Year!"

The audience applauded again for Harry as Hermione and Ron joined him in the countdown to the midnight hour. As midnight rang, streamers ran from the ends of many wands, fireworks burst seemingly from the ceiling and couples embraced. Hermione met Draco's eyes across the room as he sent her a flirtatious smile. Harry, Ron and Hermione left the stage and fell straight into the clutches of Rita Skeeter, who had shared a midnight kiss with a few glasses of champagne from the smell of her. "Ah, finally I have caught the three of you all at once. How about we have that little interview now?"

"Actually, if you'll excuse me, Rita. I need to find my wife and wish her a Happy New Year," Harry said before he all but disapparated out of harm's way, sending Ron and Hermione a grimace and a shrug on his way out.

"Well, I guess that just leaves you two, then," Rita was practically vibrating with joy. "Can I be the first to get the scoop on what you two have been up to since the big split? Who have you been seeing, etcetera? Except, I suppose, I really have _no need_ to ask Miss Granger that question, seeing as it appears that she is betrothed to a Malfoy man. I'd like to go out on a whim here and _assume_ that it is Mr _Draco_ Malfoy, dear?"

Ron was turning a dangerous shade of purple and sputtering as he looked from Rita to Hermione and back again. " _Betrothed?_ " he hissed. "Betrothed to that git?" He turned his fury on Hermione. "You moved out of our home not even four months ago and you're already engaged to that prancing prick? Have you no respect for me at all? Were you cheating on me with him?"

Hermione who had been feeling some sort of shock was now bright red in the face herself and was quite suddenly unable to control herself, even with Rita standing there, quick quotes quill moving a thousand miles a second. Thankfully there was no cameraman insight as her hand seemed to have a mind of its own as it reached up to slap Ron soundly across the face. "No, I _was not_ cheating on you! How could you even accuse me of such a thing? And no, I am not engaged to him! I have no idea what that horrible beetle is banging on about!"

Ron stood there stunned, hand cupping a flaming red cheek while Hermione glared at Rita, waiting for some kind of explanation. Taking the opportunity, Rita cleared her throat. " _Well_ , love. It's that _charming trinket_ that you have around your neck. You see, it's a Malfoy family heirloom, one that is only ever bestowed upon the next woman to enter the family through marriage. In the Malfoy family, it is considered even more substantial than a ring. _Why_ , dear? Didn't you know?" Rita finished with her trademark smile, indicating that she had the upper hand.

"No," Hermione replied, deflated. Draco had made his way through the gathering crowd and was nudging his way between Ron and Rita. "I had no idea of the symbolism," she caught Draco's eye. "It would have been nice to be informed," she said with more than a little venom in her voice.

Out of nowhere, Ron swung a fist that connected soundly with Draco's cheekbone accompanied by a flash as the cameraman finally found his way to the commotion. "You think you can just stick a big rock around her neck and the deal is done? Like you own her now or something? You didn't even ask her!" Ron yelled at Draco as he prepared another right hook.

However, Draco saw this one coming and managed to skillfully sidestep, sneer firmly in place despite the bruise already blooming on his face. "Is that the best you can do, Weaselby? Throw a punch? Still haven't mastered the use of your wand, I see."

Harry had somehow found his way back to his friends and was successful in restraining Ron as he attempted to release his rage again.

"Come off it, Malfoy. Don't deflect my accusations with insults. How can you stand there and act like you've done nothing wrong? Hermione is not someone who can just be bought!"

"I know perfectly well that she has no interest in my money, Weasel. Luckily, I have many _other attributes_ that she has plenty of interest in."

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Hermione mumbled, mortified.

Ron, catching on to the innuendo, managed to break free of Harry's grip and tackled Draco down to the ground where the two rolled around, each landing hits on the other's body.

"Enough!" Hermione hollered, pointing her wand at the two of them. "Petrificus Totalus," she said, hitting Draco squarely in the chest. Harry was just a second behind her, taking Ron down with the same jinx.

Strongly wishing that she could stupefy bloody Rita Skeeter and destroy the film in the camera and rip up all the notes from the quick quotes quill. However, that was merely wishful thinking on her part as she stomped over to where the two prone bodies lay in outrageous positions. She crouched down next to them and hissed "You two are behaving like children. It's absolutely ridiculous and now that we have made a fantastic scene that will surely go down in the record books, I think we should make a hasty exit, don't you think?" Even had a response from either wizard been possible, Hermione wouldn't have waited for one as she took a wrist from each man and disapparated the three of them out of there.


	11. Love the Way You Lie

Hermione apparated the three of them back to Draco's apartment where she was sure there would be no chance of interruption. She made herself comfortable on one of the armchairs before performing the counter curse to Petrificus Totalus on both Draco and Ron.

"You," Hermione pointed at Draco, "sit over there," she nodded towards one end of the long sofa. "And you," she gestured to Ron, "sit at the other end, as far away from each other as possible, if you will. As a precaution, I have already confiscated both of your wands and if either of you makes a move towards the other, don't think I won't hit you with another jinx, got it?"

Draco and Ron glared at one another but otherwise made no comment, knowing full well that Hermione would make good on her threat if warranted.

"So, what now?" Ron asked.

"You tell me," Hermione replied. "What was the plan when you started that little brawl at the party?"

"Can't say I was really thinking ahead at the time," Ron turned to glare at Draco again.

Draco sneered at him in return. "We should send Shacklebolt an owl straight away to apologise for the incident. Then we should send one to Barnabas Cuffe at the Prophet, asking for a press release in the morning to issue a formal apology to each other and everyone else involved or affected by it."

Ron scoffed while Hermione inclined her head towards Draco. "That is a reasonable and mature plan," she said. Ron scoffed again.

"What's the problem, Weasley?" Draco gave him a pointed look.

"The problem is _you_ and _your_ plan and that _she_ agrees with it."

Hermione and Draco rolled their eyes in tandem as Ron threw himself back against the cushions and crossed his arms over his chest. "Ron, you're acting like a child. You're inclined to be against this plan simply because it was Draco's. While I don't _love_ the idea of going back in front of a camera, this does seem like the best way out of a bad situation."

"The sooner we act, the better. If we let Rita run her article, which we know she will, without a statement from us to go with it, the wizarding population will only have her exaggerated words to narrate what went down and the longer we leave it in her hands, the harder it will be to come back from it," Draco said, clasping his hands together and leaning forward.

"Fine," Ron said. "Only because I want this over and done with as soon as possible. Malfoy, you write to the Daily Prophet and Hermione and I will write to Kingsley."

"What? _Why_?"

"Hermione and I have a personal relationship with Kingsley, an apology from us would be better, would it not?"

"Fine, just make sure to express my apologies as well."

"We will," Hermione assured him. "You two start on those letters and I'll make us some tea."

Half an hour later, Hermione was attaching a letter to the legs of two different owls. Tea had been brewed, consumed and both wizards had gone about their tasks quietly and calmly without even a glance in each other's direction. "Ron, you may as well go on home. I'll send an owl when we have a response from Mr Cuffe. Hopefully, he will give us a time slot early enough to make tomorrow's afternoon edition."

"Fine with me," Ron said making his way towards the fireplace. He stifled a yawn and grabbed a handful of Floo Powder from the mantle. "See you soon, 'Mione. Malfoy," he nodded and was gone in a flash of green flames.

"Hermione, will you let me explain?" Draco asked.

In response, she held up a hand in his direction. "I want to go home, shower and get out of this ridiculous dress. I need a few minutes on my own to try and process everything that happened tonight. I am _very_ curious to hear your explanation, so please feel free to accompany me downstairs and make yourself comfortable while I take my time to do the same."

"As long as you'll hear me out, I will wait as long as I need to for you to collect your thoughts. Just quickly, though - any chance of an Episky charm for my face?"

Hermione pondered for a moment. "You know, I think I might quite like your lip cut up like that and a bruise on your cheek. It's rather rugged looking, don't you think?" Hermione left it at that and made her way to the door.

Draco's lip quirked up in a quick smile at her sass, stifled quickly by a sharp pull and tearing sensation. When he wiped at his mouth, his hand came away with a smear of red.

Hermione turned the key in the lock and opened her front door to a surprising smell of spiced cake and the sight of Andy sitting on the sofa, watching the blazing fire in the fireplace. "Andy!" She exclaimed. "You're home!"

Andy placed her teacup and saucer on the coffee table and stood to embrace her. "Happy New Year, Hermione."

"And to you, too, Andy. Welcome home."

Andy looked past Hermione's shoulder and saw Draco standing in the doorway.

"Welcome back, Andy. Happy New Year," he said.

"Thank you, the same to you - about the New Year," Andy stammered. "I've got a pot of tea already steeped. Do you care to join me?"

Hermione glanced back at Draco as he started to make their excuses about turning in for the night. "Sounds wonderful," she told Andy instead and removed her coat. "I'll get the cups."

With a sigh, Draco hung his coat by the door and took a seat across from Andy. "How was your business trip?"

"Very successful, actually. Plus, I love Paris at this time of year."

Hermione had returned with the teacups and was pouring herself and Draco each a strong cup. She left Draco's where it sat on the table and picked up her own saucer before taking a seat on the sofa next to Andy.

"You were gone for so long. What is it you were up to?"

Andy was fiddling with a ring on her right hand. "Mostly just some research and planning but also recruiting staff. Good help is very difficult to find these days. Unfortunate that I had to leave the country to make it happen, but it is what it is."

"I didn't realise that you worked in Human Resources," Draco commented.

"Oh, I don't," Andy said. "I just thought reinforcements would be needed."

"What on earth for?" Hermione asked.

"I'm sorry to have bought you into this, Hermione. It really was an accident that we crossed paths. I never expected things to just fall into my lap like this. I really do care for you, so I hope that you're not too greatly affected by this."

"Affected by what, Andy?" Hermione felt panic rising inside.

"The upheaval of the Malfoy family, of course."

"Excuse me?" Draco asked indignantly. "This is about me?"

"No! This is about me, for once, _brother_."

" _Brother?_ " Hermione and Draco said together, incredulous. 

"I have no siblings," Draco continued.

"Not one that you knew about. We share only a father, Draco. Lucius had an affair with my mother shortly before his marriage to your mother. I am the result of that affair, one that he has been able to ignore because my mother is a muggle and had no way of knowing who exactly had abandoned her."

"This is absolutely outrageous!" Draco jumped from his seat and started pacing in front of the fireplace. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that you're my older sister? More like you're a gold digging who-"

"Draco!" Hermione warned. "Let's not say things that we can't take back."

"Hermione, what she is claiming is beyond the realm of reality. If what she says is true, what happened with her magical training? She'd have the gotten the letter for Hogwarts, attended and found me a hell of a lot sooner if she were truly a Malfoy!"

"Not if I was born without the ability of magic," Andy retorted.

"So you're telling me that you not only are my _half-sister_ but that you're also a Squib?"

"What is a Squib?" Andy asked.

Draco scoffed, still pacing in front of the fireplace. " _What is a Squib?_ " he huffed under his breath.

Hermione placed a hand on Andy's knee. "A squib is a person of magical descent, who has been born without magic."

" _Un Cracmol?_ " Andy said, her voice accented in French.

"Oui, un Cracmol," Hermione confirmed also in French. Continuing in English, Hermione addressed Draco. "Besides Draco, there is a very simple way to see if she is at least a Malfoy."

Draco stopped pacing and looked at Hermione. "No, absolutely not. I can't risk anything happening to it."

"Well, you took a huge risk in more than one way by giving it to me tonight and I can't think of an easier way to test the theory at this moment, can you?"

"What are you on about?" Andy questioned, her voice rising in volume.

"We both have wands while Andy does not. What could possibly go wrong?" Hermione addressed Draco.

"Fine, but I'm blocking all the exits first."

"Fine."

" _Fine!_ "

"WHAT IS FINE?" Andy all but bellowed.

Hermione gestured to the necklace still trapped around her neck. "Once Draco has satisfied his paranoia, you're going to unclasp this for me."

Andy's only response was to pull a puzzled face, so while Draco charmed the front door and all of the windows with a locking charm, Hermione explained how the necklace could only be removed by a Malfoy. Once Draco was satisfied that Andy couldn't get away with his precious family heirloom, Andy moved behind the sofa to stand in line with where Hermione was sitting. Gently, she put her hands on the back of Hermione's neck and lifted the chain clasp away from the skin. Dubious, yet apprehensive, Draco stood watching and holding his breath. "So, all I have to do, is take it off?" Andy double checked.

"Yes, that should do it" Draco drawled.

"Right," she nodded and slipped the necklace off from around Hermione's throat. Responses were immediate. Andy let out a sigh of relief, Hermione caught at the necklace and Draco's knees gave out from under him. Hermione left her seat and knelt by where Draco had braced himself against the wall. She removed his hands from his face and held the necklace out to him saying, "Send it back where it belongs."

With a wave of his wand, Draco vanished the necklace, sending it back to the Malfoy treasury.

"Chin up, Malfoy. You've got a sister!" Hermione smiled at him, placing a quick kiss on his cheek. Standing, Hermione moved over to Andy and rubbed a soothing pattern on her arm. "So, Andy. You're a Malfoy. How are you feeling?"

"Vindicated," was her short reply.

Draco got his legs back underneath him and used them to push himself back up the wall. "So you're a Malfoy, my older sister," he stammered. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Hermione and I have had a very long, stressful and now revealing evening. I think we should turn in for the evening before we have another long day tomorrow. It is my intention to work through all of this with you, but not tonight. Before we wish you good night, is there anything else you want to tell me?"

"You should know that it is my intention to break our father out of prison."

Draco and Hermione gaped at each other while an owl tapped incessantly on the window.


	12. If We're Honest

Hermione stood between Ron and Draco on a small podium, behind a wooden lectern with cue cards and notes spread out in front of her. Sonorous charm already in place on all three wands, they stood poised to give an exposé on the recent events of their lives. Cameras flashed, quills were feverish on parchment and the assembled crowd waited with bated breath.

Surprisingly, it was Ron who began talking first. He sucked in a large amount of air and let it out all at once. "As you all know, Hermione and I ended our relationship earlier this year. We came to the _ mutual _ conclusion that our lives were not heading in the same direction and it was time to say goodbye to each other in that respect. My actions last night towards Draco Malfoy while unjustified, came from a place of protectiveness. While Hermione and I are no longer romantically involved, we have been best friends since our first year of Hogwarts. Those feelings won't end as our romantic relationship did. I apologise sincerely, not only to Draco and Hermione but to the rest of the guests at the party last night and to anyone else who was upset by my recklessness."

Draco cleared his throat in preparation for his part of the speech. "I too wish to apologise to Ronald, the witches and wizards in attendance last night and all others who have been upset by our actions. I have no real defence for my actions. It would appear that it is not always easy to leave school rivalries in the past where they belong. Miss Granger and I have been seeing each other romantically for the last couple of months and it has been wonderful to spend this time getting to know each other as adults. I see a bright future for us together and because of this, I may have acted in a rash manner on several levels yesterday evening. Again, I am genuinely apologetic for my actions last night."

He turned to look at Hermione and placed a reassuring hand on the small of her back. "What you have heard from both Ron and Draco today has been honest and true. While timing has not been on our side, my relationship with Ron is still friendly and we will always be in each other's lives. However, we all need to be truthful with each other and this situation and the truth is that my future is not with Ronald, but with Draco. The events of last night were a very unfortunate way of making our relationship public, but now that it is out in the open, we would like to ask you to respect our privacy and trust that we are continuing to be honest with you when we say that we are _not_ engaged to be married."

"If there is an announcement to be made, we promise that we will not make you wait too long before you hear it," Draco continued. Hermione simply blushed and Ron appeared to have spotted something very interesting on the ground.

"Thank you for gathering to hear us out today. We appreciate your time," Hermione finished, gathering the parchment from the lectern and disengaging the Sonorous charm on her wand. Draco and Ron shook hands while Hermione briefly laid her hand on Ron's shoulder. Together all three waved to the crowd before Hermione took Draco's hand and they disapparated together.

* * *

"Did you think any more about what I said last night?" Hermione asked.

Draco's response was to snicker, followed closely by "Which part?"

"The part regarding talking to Harry about Andy," Hermione rolled her eyes as she plunked herself down on Draco's sofa, pulled her shoes off and began to massage the balls of her feet. They were still aching from being in high heels for so many hours the previous night.

"Hermione. This is a family matter and it needs to stay that way. I am going to send Mother an owl, then you and I are going to take a well-deserved nap before I meet with her."

"You're being ridiculous. Andy told us that she has assembled a team and plans to break your father out of Azkaban. I mean, yes, the likelihood of her  _ actually  _ achieving anything remotely close to a break out is absurd, but it is a massive criminal undertaking and it should be reported. Besides it being our civic responsibility to do so, Harry is my best friend and one of the best Aurors in his team. How could I not tell him?"

"Because I am asking you not to. At least for now. My mother deserves the respect of finding out about my - my half-sister from me instead of law enforcement or Merlin forbid, the press. I can understand that you feel a need to report this, especially to Potter, but I am asking you for time. Can you give me that?"

Hermione sighed deeply and put her head in her hands. "Fine, but you need to send that owl to your mother right now. I'll be in the shower."

"I'll join you in just a few minutes," he quipped with a smirk and a wink.

"Malfoy. If you think that anything  _ other _ than sleeping is going on in your bedroom today, you're sorely mistaken. You  _ might _ have sufficiently apologised to the masses for participating in a fistfight last night and we  _ might _ have bigger fish to fry right now in regards to Andy, Azkaban and your mother, but don't you start thinking that you and I are squared away in regards to your  _ other little stunt _ last night. In fact, I wouldn't even so much as try to  _ snuggle _ with me if I were you."

Draco opened his mouth to reply but found that he had no ready response. Hermione looked him dead in the eye and feigned a yawn, stretching her arms out above her head. "You know, I'm just so  _ gosh darn _ tired that I'm not sure that I have the energy to both shower  _ and _ put my pyjamas on. I think I'll just have to sleep naked; I hope that won't be a problem for you," she all but purred before stalking away.

While Hermione hadn't physically touched him, Draco was more than strongly reminded of the time in the third year when Hermione slapped him on the face. He placed his hand there now, smiling at the thought of the first time she ever touched him, when he first realised that she was strong, able to stand up to him and not someone who could be pushed around. That was when she first piqued his interest and now that he finally had hers, he needed to remind himself to slow down, that she was not like anyone he had been with before. Hermione was not a woman to be rushed into anything. She thought through everything and required time to make big decisions. Draco had thought that making a grand gesture such as he did the previous evening would only go down well, however, he hadn't planned on anyone else revealing the significance of the necklace. Firstly, his Grandfather had nearly given it away and then that darn Skeeter woman had gone and ruined it all. He would have to thoroughly think through how he could explain and make it up to her. First things first though, he thought, pouring himself two fingers of whisky and adding a drop of water, he sat down to write an owl to his mother, asking if she would visit with him that evening. He made the letter sound as non-urgent as he reasonably could, hoping not to cause stress to Narcissa before he needed to. It was likely that she would assume he wanted to talk to her about last night and the events that followed it. Narcissa was more than aware of his feelings for Hermione and had been for some years, so when he had asked her for her permission in regards to the now-infamous necklace, she hadn't blinked an eye, though if he'd have given her the chance to, she probably would have advised against his plan of hiding the implication that it came with.

As he watched his owl fly away from his window, Draco downed the remainder of his whisky and headed for the now empty bathroom.

* * *

Narcissa Black glided through the fireplace of her son's London apartment at precisely eight that evening. She was always prompt and elegantly attired. This evening she was in her pristine white robes, somehow avoiding soot and floo powder stains. Draco rose from his position on the love seat and greeted her warmly with a small kiss on the cheek.

"Mother, thank you for coming."

"Don't be silly, darling. I'll always come when you call. Now tell me what this is all about."

Together they moved to sit side by side on the sofa opposite the fireplace. Draco waved his wand and the teapot lifted to pour them both a strong English blend. As it did so, Draco took one of Narcissa's hands in his own. "Draco, darling. You're starting to worry me. What's going on? Where is Hermione?"

"Hermione is at home, preparing for the first day of her new position tomorrow. She's  _ hitting the books _ , as she likes to say. I don't want to cause you to worry, but I do need to tell you something unpleasant."

"Well, do get on with it, darling," Narcissa replied kindly. "You're killing me with suspense."

"There is no easy way to say this, so I think it's best to just come out with it. Father had an affair before you were married with a muggle woman. I know this because last night I met my half-sister." Draco held his breath waiting for the news to sink in. He'd imagined Narcissa turning red in the face and dropping her teacup or standing up and pacing the room in a quiet fury. Lastly, he'd imagined an out of character burst of rage. Instead, she lowered her teacup to the table and retook Draco's hands in hers.

"So, you've met Andreya. How did this happen?"

"I - what? You knew?"

"Yes, Draco. I knew. Your Father, however, has no idea."

Draco took a deep breath and swallowed a burst of rage all his own. His mother had known that he had a sister for who knew how long, and she had kept it a secret? His mind was spinning, and he wanted to throw his teacup against the wall. However, he'd been raised to respect his parents and the fit that he wanted to throw would not reflect his upbringing, nor the recent strides he'd made to become a better person. Instead, he placed his teacup back in its saucer with just a slight rattle.

In order to collect his thoughts, Draco cleared his throat, stood and paced the room. He stopped by the fireplace and braced himself against the mantle. "When did you find out?"

"If you think that my family didn't do any background research on your father before we married, then you're not thinking clearly. That is not how our families operate. We do not sign contracts without knowing all there is to know."

"Ok. We're going to unpack  _ that  _ a little further later, but for now, let's get back to you knowing about Andy."

"Fine, but we will need something stronger than tea. Have you got any gin? Vodka? Anything other than whisky?"

Draco made his way to his liquor cabinet and produced a bottle of _Watenshi_ Gin.

Narcissa rolled her eyes at her son. "Of course, you have the  _ angel's share _ of gin. This isn't a celebration, Draco. Have you got something worth a few thousand pounds less?"

The son returned the favour by rolling his eyes at his mother, the side of his mouth twitching upwards, he pulled out a bottle of _Burleigh's_. "Would you like some tonic with your gin, Mother?"

"Just a dash, darling," she quipped.

An hour later, Narcissa Malfoy had explained that on the eve of her wedding, her father had informed her that her fiancé had been followed to France where he had been seen entering a muggle establishment with a woman, where he had stayed until the following morning. Her father had confronted Lucius himself and warned him of the consequences of making the same mistake twice. Heart-broken, Narcissa was told that the matter had been dealt with and that the wedding was still to take place as planned because a union with a Malfoy was beneficial to the Black family. So Narcissa swallowed her pride and did as she was instructed by carrying on with the marriage to Lucius, all the while contracting her own investigator to keep a tab not only on Lucius but to check in on the muggle woman he had been seen with. While Lucius kept his promise and did not stray from his marital vows, some months later, Narcissa was informed that the woman appeared to be pregnant and once the child had been born, a paternity charm had been placed over her confirming that Lucius was the father. Wed, but not yet pregnant, Narcissa resolved to keep knowledge of the child from her husband until such time as she could produce a true heir. Plagued with guilt and a feeling of responsibility for the child - for surely it was her doing that the girl had no father, Narcissa made a trip Gringrott's to withdraw and convert thirty thousand galleons to the French franc, sealed this in a package with a letter she had written and hand-delivered this to the home where the woman and the child resided.

A year later Narcissa had learned that she was expecting a child of her own and she had admitted to Draco that she decided to keep Lucius in the dark about his daughter for a little longer. As the years progressed and she learned that Andy had no magical abilities and no way of contacting her birth father, all thoughts of ever telling her husband about Andy dissipated and never resurfaced.

By the end of her tale, Draco who had not spoken a word had kept his hands busy with his glass and was now  _ quite _ feeling the effects of the London dry gin.

"Did you ever stop to think about Father's right to know about his daughter? About my right to know that I had a sister? Or was it all about protecting us from a scandal? From the wrath of the  _ Prophet _ ?" Draco seethed.

Narcissa lent over and took the glass from Draco's hands. "Do calm down, Draco. You're sloshing it everywhere." Narcissa waited for Draco to sit back in his seat before continuing. "Yes, I thought about your right to know about your sister. Maybe knowing you had a half-sister would have helped round you out a little earlier in life. Or maybe you would resent her, look down on her for being a squib. Disrespect your father for having a child out of wedlock, or somehow get it in your head that that was an acceptable thing to do? Did I think that your father would benefit from knowing about her? Absolutely not. Could you imagine him visiting with his squib daughter? That he would be anything kinder than dismissive towards her is difficult to believe. Andreya and her mother were better off without knowing  _ our _ truth. The galleons that I gave them should have been enough to see them through many years and to start up a very generous university fund for Andy. This was the best solution for everyone involved and yes, as you so delicately pointed out, it kept us away from the scandal the  _ Prophet _ would have made it out to be. I thought I was protecting everyone. I see now that maybe I should have told you about her. However, the longer I went on without doing so, the harder it was and honestly, I think up until a year or two ago, you wouldn't have been able to handle this news."

Draco wanted to protest, but the fight left him as his mother's words made their way through his gin addled brain. She was right, if he had found out about this situation any earlier than his twentieth birthday, it probably would not have gone well. If his father were to have known about Andy, he would either disown her for being a Squib or treat her terribly, giving Draco yet another bad example of what it is to be a good man and father.

"Ok, fine. I will not lie to you and tell you that I am happy about this, but I can at least tell you that I understand it. What are we going to do about her breaking into Azkaban?"

" _She's doing what?_ "

Draco winced at the sharp tone his mother used. "Didn't I mention that earlier?"


	13. Confessions

" _Draco Lucius Malfoy_ , you mean to tell me that you are aware of major illegal activity and have not reported it? Have you no recollection of our immunity agreement with the Ministry?" Narcissa scolded her son.

"I'm not a child, Mother. Please do not address me as such," Draco replied hotly. In a softer voice, he continued, "Of course I remember the details of our contract with the Ministry but forgive me for having your feelings and reputation as my priority."

The flames left Narcissa's cheeks and she placed a comforting hand on her son's shoulder. "I appreciate that Draco but we need to stay on the right side of the law to keep ourselves out of Azkaban. You say that Hermione is at home with her books, I suggest that we go to her and ask her to contact Mr Potter. Let's go."

"Fine, I'll just let her know we are coming."

"Don't be ridiculous, darling. She's right downstairs. Come."

Grudgingly, Draco followed his mother out the door and downstairs, wishing he had the chance to send Hermione a Patronus to let her know that they were coming. She was probably not going to appreciate the interruption and would be especially upset about officially meeting Narcissa with no time to prepare herself. He would be hearing about this later, to be sure. Within two minutes Draco and Narcissa were standing in front of the door for apartment 2a.

Narcissa stared patiently at the door before turning to look at Draco. "How do we announce our arrival? Are we supposed to yell through the door?"  
"Oh, er no. This button makes a noise when pressed. It's called a doorbell."  
"Charming," Narcissa purred as she pressed down on the doorbell for a full second.

Moments later the door flew open to reveal one Hermione Jean Granger clad in fleece pyjamas, fluffy sheep appearing to prance all over them, hair pulled into a rough bun on the top of her head, resplendent with a green face mask firmly in place, eyes completely wide in shock.  
"Ms Black, Draco. Hello. Er, welcome. Please do come in."  
"Thank you, darling," Narcissa smiled, eyes lit with delight at Hermione's homely appearance. Draco followed his mother inside demurely, avoiding making eye contact with Hermione's fiery gaze.  
"Draco, would you mind putting on a pot of tea while I make myself a little more presentable? Please, Ms Black, make yourself comfortable," Hermione said, flicking her wand towards the fireplace to get it started.  
"Thank you, Hermione," Narcissa said, elegantly placing herself on the loveseat in front of the fire.

Once safely hidden in her room, Hermione swiped at the wet green goo on her face with a towel and flinging it towards the washing basket in her bathroom, allowed herself just one moment to feel her frustration. She had not seen Narcissa in person since the war at Hogwarts and had not been in close proximity to her since her last trip to the Malfoy Manor, a trip that the scarred phrase on her arm would not allow her to forget. Hermione had a hard time reconciling the Narcissa who sent her husband to Azkaban for his war crimes, who gave her blessing and well wishes for her son to marry a muggle-born witch with the Narcissa who stood by and let her demented sister torture a seventeen-year-old girl and who held prisoners in her home. Still, if she could forgive Draco for his past crimes as a child, could she at least try to forgive Narcissa of her crimes as an adult? Doubtful, yet she still wished to impress her. She pulled a knee-length, black pencil skirt from her closet and paired it with a lilac blouse. Whipping her wand through the air and around her head, Hermione fixed her hair and makeup into a simple yet elegant look, pulled her clothes on and slipped her feet into a pair of demure kitten heels. She glanced in the mirror to make sure that all was in order, then head held high, exited her bedroom to discover exactly what direction the coming conversation would take.

Draco emerged from the kitchen with the teapot and teacups floating in front of him as Hermione seated herself in a position as far away from Narcissa as she could whilst remaining polite and watched as Draco planted himself between her and his mother.  
"So, Ms Black. What can I do for you this evening?"  
"Hermione, dear. There is no need for you to be so formal," Narcissa smiled. "After all, I hope that someday soon you will be able to name me as a mother-in-law."

_'I might be able to name you by that'_ , Hermione scoffed to herself, _'but it's not bloody likely that I will'_. Instead, Hermione bared her teeth in place of a smile and simply said: "We will see."

  
Narcissa mimicked Hermione's show of teeth and lifted her teacup to her lips briefly before delicately replacing the cup in its saucer. "Draco has informed me that Andreya shares this living space with you. Quite the coincidence, I do say."

"Mother," Draco said in a low, warning tone.

"Is she here now?" Narcissa inquired.

"No, I am under the assumption that she is off finalising the details of the prison break. The one I have been asked to ignore for the time being to spare your feelings."

Narcissa's face lit up in a genuine smile. "Oh, Draco. I _do_ like her. She has got some moxie in her. She won't be afraid to put you in your place when needs be."

Hermione stared at Narcissa, mouth popped in an 'O' shape, hardly willing to hear the words that just came out of her mouth, yet at the same time, feeling the weight of them settle inside of her with pride for having legitimately received the woman's approval. Meanwhile, Draco rumbled with a mix of embarrassment and amusement.

"What you can do for me, Hermione, is to contact Mr Potter and bring this matter to his attention immediately. I do not believe that my son has made you privy to the details of our immunity agreement with the Ministry, else I do not think you would have been so easily persuaded to stay quiet, even temporarily."

Hermione shot a glance at Draco while he stared intently at his teacup, apparently finding the floral china incredibly interesting.

"Draco and I are obligated to bring any criminal activities that we are aware of to the immediate attention of the Ministry, else we are in breach of our agreements and may be bought back in front of the Wizengamot for further investigation for our participation in the war."

"Is that quite so?" Hermione asked Draco.

"Yes, it is _quite so_ ," he replied indignantly.

Hermione cast a Patronus charm and spoke to it. "Harry, I have a dolt for a boyfriend and we need your help and discretion rather urgently. How quickly can you get to my apartment?" and sent it on its way.

"A dolt?" Draco questioned.

"Yes, a dolt," Hermione scolded. "You risked going back on trial and potentially prison for _this_?"

"I quite agree," Narcissa chimed in.

"I'm sure you wouldn't have had you not already known about my sister for my entire life," Draco spat.

"You knew about Andy?" Hermione asked Narcissa. "Does Lucius know?"

"I have always known about Andreya, but Lucus remains blissfully ignorant."

Hermione visibly bristled as Narcissa admitted that she had kept the truth from her husband and son for so many years.

"Are you judging me for my decisions, Miss Granger?"

"This one and many others, Ms Black."

Narcissa had the good grace to look ashamed but did not have a chance to respond as the outside door buzzer rang and Hermione stood to answer the intercom. "Harry, is that you?"

"Yes, and can you hurry up? It's bloody freezing out here!"

Hermione rolled her eyes, but pressed the button for admittance immediately and stood by the door to let Harry in as he raced up the stairs and planted himself in front of the fire.

"Malfoy," he nodded his greeting. "Ms Black, what a surprise. Now, what is this urgent matter that I am needed for?"

Harry was looking at Hermione but she retook her seat and gestured towards Draco and his mother in lieu of a response. So Harry turned his attention to Draco. "Malfoy? What's this all about?"

Draco glanced briefly at his mother before launching into the story for the second time that evening.

"Right," Harry said. "Any idea when Andy intends to carry out this plan?"

"No idea, but I had the feeling that she wished to include Draco in her plans. She can't be fully aware of the circumstances that landed Mr Malfoy in Azkaban in the first place. Surely she would at least try to contact Mr Malfoy before any attempts are made."

"Yes, one would imagine," Narcissa added.

"Who is to say she hasn't already?" Draco asked.

"When would she have had the chance? Haven't you reported this immediately?"

"Yes, well. That is the part of my message in which I referred to Draco as a dolt. Andy told us about this last night but Draco insisted that he talk to his mother before I could contact you. I have only just heard about the condition in the immunity agreement. So, Harry, this is the part where I ask you for your discretion. Can we spin this somehow to say that we have only just found out?"

Harry drew in a deep breath, placed both of his hands on the mantel and stared into the fire for a full minute before responding.

"That was a very stupid thing to do, Malfoy. Loyal and surprisingly loving, but stupid. Now we have no idea where Andy is, how far along her plan is and we have to come up with some kind of explanation as to why she has slipped through the cracks." Harry ran his fingers through his hair, resulting in it standing on end.

"Stupidity isn't something I am overly familiar with, Potter, but I will concede to it in this case. Is there something to be done?"

"I will contact some colleagues and send an owl immediately to Azkaban telling them to be extra diligent. I'll disapparate straight to the Ministry and get all of this underway before I get the search started for Andy and her accomplices. I will report that Andy made her confession to you and that you contacted me via owl and I did not open it until just a short while ago. Of course, that would require a letter as proof and I'd rather it be in your hand, Malfoy. That would be best in order to fight your case, should it come to that."

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione smiled and hugged him briefly.

"Yes, thank you, Potter," said Draco after a beat, receiving a stern look from Hermione. "You are saving our arses. Really, thank you."

"I'm doing this more for Hermione than I am for you, but you're welcome all the same, Malfoy."

Narcissa watched on in silence, still cradling her teacup.

"Right, if you'll get me that letter, I can be off and get this ball rolling."

"I'll grab you parchment and a quill," Hermione threw over her shoulder as she disappeared into her bedroom.

Harry had watched Hermione's progress and was therefore surprised that when she appeared again, Narcissa was standing next to him.

  
"Mr Potter, I wonder if I might have a word while Draco and Hermione take care of that letter?"

"Uh, sure. Mrs Malf, er, Ms Black?"

Narcissa smiled reassuringly at Harry, "Please, call me Narcissa."

"Uh, great, Narcissa then. What can I help you with?"

"Well, the thing is, Harry - may I call you Harry?" Narcissa didn't wait for a response before continuing. "Lucius doesn't know about his daughter and I'd very much like to keep it that way. I was rather hoping you could assist me with that."

Puzzled, Harry paused for a moment to think. "I mean I could ask my team not to disclose the information and we could just generally avoid Lucius altogether. There is no reason to involve him at all unless Andy has already gotten to him. However, if we do manage to stop the break out attempt before it begins, then we will only be able to book Andy for intent. Plus, as I understand it, Andy is a Squib and honestly, I have no idea how her case will go - we can't exactly send her to Azkaban. I mean, she only recently learned that Azkaban exists, or indeed that magic is real. Whatever her sentence is, it will be light and there will be no way to stop her from contacting Lucius herself. What about Draco? How are you going to stop him from telling his father?"

"Well, I was just going to ask him very nicely, but failing that, I think a nice memory charm will do."

Harry gawped at Narcissa for a few seconds before she let out a small chuckle. "I'm joking, of course, Harry, but I do hope that Draco will at least try to respect my wishes."

"I think it is you who should respect _his_ wishes on this one. I think his stakes are a little higher in this matter than yours are. Yes, your ex-husband had an affair before you were married, but I think your son should be allowed to tell his father that he has a sister, that there is another person in this world who shares their DNA, should he wish to."

Narcissa cleared her throat. "You may have a valid point, Potter but what is DNA?"

"Umm," Harry hesitated but didn't need to procrastinate for too long before Draco and Hermione returned, brandishing some parchment at Harry.

"Here Harry, have a look. It is dated and timed appropriately," Hermione waited a moment for Harry to scan the letter. "What do you think?"

"Yes, it should pass inspection. I'll just er, get going then," and with a polite nod at Narcissa, Harry disapparated with a pop.

"So what happens now?" Draco asked, the question posed to both Narcissa and Hermione.

"We wait," they replied in unison. He had to turn away so they wouldn't see him smile.


	14. Come Undone

"We wait," the two most important women in his life had said in unison. While they had turned away from each other, he had the opportunity to smile. His mother had already admitted that she was enjoying Hermione's company. Hermione herself still had a long way to go before trusting Narcissa Black farther than she could throw her, but Draco knew that she would come around. Narcissa simply had too much in common with Hermione; they would find their interests mingling more and more as they spent time together.

Before they turned in for the night, Andy arrived home. She clocked Narcissa sitting on the couch, noticed the resemblance between her and her son and knew immediately whom she was looking at. 

"Oh no," she said with a little bit of her French accent slipping through. "I am not ready for this." Andy turned to leave the apartment again when Narcissa stood.

"Please, Andreya. I believe that I have some explaining to do."

At the sound of Narcissa's voice, Andy turned back and took her preferred seat by the fireplace. "Then explain," she gestured towards Narcissa.

Draco nodded at Hermione who excused herself to her bedroom under the pretence of giving them privacy. Once sequestered in her there, Hermione cast the Patronus spell and gave it a message for Harry, alerting him to Andy's reappearance at home. Her opaque white otter danced off into the evening to find its recipient.

When Hermione returned to the living room, Andy had her knees tucked to her chest as she listened to Narcissa's story. How as a young woman, she had thought it the best thing to do and had tried to put the other young woman and her baby out of her mind since then, but had been unable to, thus keeping an eye on her over the years.

"I'd never dreamed that we'd end up here. I honestly thought I was doing the right thing," Narcissa was saying.

"Be that as it may, I was deprived of a father and he was deprived of a daughter. That could never be the right thing to do for anybody," Andy said, wiping a tear from her eye. "Look, I just want to go to bed. I think we're done here for now," she said as she stood up. 

At that moment, the buzzer sounded for the door and Andy groaned, shoving her hands into her short hair. 

"I'll get it," Hermione sympathised with her. She, pressed the buzzer to allow entry and opened the door to reveal Harry, dressed in his Auror's cloak. "Hi Harry," Hermione said. "Please come in."

"Thanks, 'Mione," Harry said, looking around as if he had never been there before. His eyes landed on Andy, halfway to her bedroom.

"I'm sorry, Andy," Hermione said as her best friend raised his wand and stunned her - standard protocol for apprehending a suspect.

With Andy immobile on the floor, Hermione kneeled next to her. "I'm so truly sorry for this, Andy. But it's the law and I can't ignore that. You haven't done anything wrong - yet - so everything will be fine. Plus, Harry is a dear, dear friend of mine. He will take care of you." Hermione placed a kiss on her friend's cheek and stood once more, standing by Draco's side and taking his hand as Harry produced a Portkey and disappeared with her flat mate.

"Well, I think we're all done here," Narcissa said with a glance at the clock. "It is after the midnight hour and I believe that you have a big day ahead of you, Hermione. We will bid you a good evening and wish you success for the morning."

"Thank you, Narcissa," Hermione said around the frog in her throat. Damn her incessant need to be polite. She walked with Draco and his mother to the door of her apartment. Narcissa stood in the hallway to allow Draco to say goodnight in relative privacy. He pulled her to him for a warm embrace, nuzzling his face into her hair. "I'm so sorry. Thank you for all of your help and understanding. Do you want me to come back once I've said goodbye to my mother?"

With her face buried in his light sweater, Hermione responded. "I'm dead on my feet. I'll probably already be asleep by then. Come back for a coffee in the morning to wish me luck on my first day?"

"Absolutely," he told her as he lifted her face to his for a sweet kiss. "Sweet dreams, my love." And then he was gone. Hermione waved her wand over her head, removing the hair and makeup glamour, shucked off her clothes, leaving them to lie on the floor and barely managed to pull her nightgown over her head before collapsing into bed. Falling instantly asleep, exhausted from the overwhelming evening.

When morning came, Hermione was woken by her alarm clock which she shut off with a tap of her wand. She rolled back over and stared at the ceiling for a moment while she gathered her thoughts. She needed to be able to check in on Andy and she needed to make a good first impression in her new department. She needed to speak with Harry and find out what was happening and she needed to speak with Draco and ask him what his thoughts were on getting in contact with his father. But right now, what she _really_ needed to do was get ready. Throwing off the covers, she entered her bathroom, relieved herself and turned on the shower. While the water warmed up, she selected her robes for the day - her new dark blue set. She returned to the bathroom and set about getting herself ready for the day.

She emerged from her bathroom in a cloud of steam, ready to take on the day - after a cup of coffee. She was between her bedroom and the kitchen when there was a knock on the door. Hermione opened it to reveal her incredibly handsome boyfriend, baring two take away coffee cups and a bag of warm pastries. "Mmm, good morning," she told him as she pulled him inside, taking the lid off of one of the cups to inhale the strong coffee scent.

"You look great," he said in reply.

"These smell great," she responded pulling the paper bag from his hands and sitting it on the dining table. Before she could sink her teeth into a croissant, Draco pulled her to him for a cuddle and a kiss. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Like a baby. And you?" 

They sat together at the table and broke into the pastry bag. 

"I tossed and turned some, but got there in the end," he said with a smile. 

"How are you feeling about the Andy situation now that you have had a couple of nights to ruminate over it?"

"Still utterly shocked that I have a sister. My mother doesn't want my father to know about it."

"Why? I think he has a right to know and Andy certainly wants to know him. Why should they remain separate?"

"Well, she seems to think that he wouldn't take too kindly to having a Squib for a daughter. That's probably very true, but I'm not sure that's all there is to it."

"Do you think she's worried about your inheritance?"

"Merlin, no. There is more than enough of that for multiple siblings. I think she might be concerned about appearances. It isn't a widely known fact, but my mother and father struggled to conceive me which is why they were married for a few years before I arrived. If word gets out that Andy is not only a bastard but also a Squib, my father's ability to make children would be questioned and as a result, so would mine."

"That is utterly ridiculous," Hermione said as she washed the last of a cherry danish down with her coffee. "We will prove them wrong when the time is right."

Draco's face lit up. "Will we now?" he smirked, pulling her in for another kiss. "Have I told you fantastic you look today?"

Hermione squirmed in his arms. "We will not be proving them wrong anytime soon, Malfoy! I've got to get to the Ministry!"

"Me too. I want to check in with Potter and arrange to visit with my father. Let's just do a side a-long. No one is here to see."

Hermione acquiesced and they clasped hands to disapparate to the Ministry together.

Arriving at the Ministry, Draco kept his hand firmly interlocked with Hermione's as they made their way to the elevators. It had only been a few days since the New Years Eve party where their relationship had been revealed, and witches and wizards everywhere were still shocked to see them together. Especially in such a public display at the Ministry. They both held their heads high in an effort to avoid further scrutiny. 

As they entered the lift and hit the button for level two, Hermione let out the deep breath she had been holding as they walked through the Atrium. 

"Are you ok?" Draco asked her.

"I think so. Just a combination of nerves for my first day and feeling sick about turning Andy in. I was able to deny it up until this moment, but now everything is hitting like a tonne of bricks. Are we horrible people for turning her in? She's my friend - your sister. What have we done?"

"The right thing," was his reply. "She might be my sister, but I barely know her. If I was sent away for ignoring the situation, I wouldn't get the chance to know her. I wouldn't get the chance to be with you. My mother would be under immense scrutiny," Draco continued making lists as they exited the lift onto the second level and made their way down the narrow hall. "Turning her in now before any real damage has been done is the best situation for everyone involved. Everyone," he said a little more firmly when she looked as if she would question him. "This minimises the damage done to Andy as well as us."

They had arrived outside of the hall to the Wizengamot offices where Hermione needed to be. Draco tucked a loose curl behind her ear and kissed her on the cheek. "Don't think on it any more. I'll go see Potter, find out what the deal is and ask him to send you a memo. Until you receive it, just put your head down and start learning the ropes of your new job."

Hermione nodded and turned tail to discover what her new position at the Ministry had in store for her. 

* * *

Draco watched her disappear down the hall with a look of immense pride on his countenance. He was going to marry that witch one day and one day, she was going to rule this world. A luckier wizard there never was. With a sigh, he turned and headed further down the winding hall to the Auror's offices.   
The halls were not quiet here, they were abuzz with flying memos and witches and wizards darting out of one office and into another, raised voices - some in urgency and others with a laugh. The Auror's office was much rowdier than he had expected. Many people looked up as he passed them, trained to notice everything in their surroundings, but none spared him a second glance as he searched for a door bearing Potter's name. Halfway down the corridor, he found a closed door with the nameplate "Harry Potter, Second Auror in charge" blazing across it. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Malfoy rapped his knuckles twice against it before pushing it open. Harry was behind his desk, fingers steepled as he conversed with Weasley, seated on the visitor's side of the desk. Both wizards looked up as Draco entered the office. 

"Malfoy," Harry stood. "Was I expecting you?"

"Not officially," Draco drawled, feeling wrong-footed by the unexpected sight of Ron in the office. "But I would have thought you'd know I'd be in at some point today."

"An owl first would be appreciated." This came from Ron who was standing. "We will talk about it later, Harry. It just got a whole lot more crowded in here." Ron took his exit with Draco stepping aside only at the last minute. Try as he might to be a better man, this particular wizard made it difficult. Though, he supposed, maybe he should be more gracious. If the Weasel had held on a little more tightly, he may not have the good fortune to be with Granger. 

"What can I help you with, Malfoy?"

Draco gave him a incredulous look. "Seriously, Potter? I'd like an update on the situation with my sister."  
"I haven't got much more to tell you," Harry said. "The stunning spell must have hit her pretty hard - no magical blood and all."

Draco glowered at Harry before he continued. "She is still out cold and awaiting processing. What I can tell you is that Azkaban has been through a thorough security check and extra measures are in place until we can identify the real threat. Until the time comes when Andreya wakes up, and we have the opportunity to question her - don't look at me like that. It will be a simple questioning with coffee and a sandwich provided for her right here in my office. She will be perfectly safe under my protection. Until that time comes, there isn't much more to be done."

"In that case, please send Granger a memo to let her know. She almost had a panic attack this morning wondering if we had done the right thing. I told her you'd be in touch and to just focus on her new job, but we both know she'll be distressed until she hears from you. Also, if you would, I'd like for you to arrange for a visit between my father and myself. As much as I loathe Azkaban, I think he'd like to know about his firstborn child."

"Have you spoken with your mother about that?"

"Should I have?"

"She asked me to keep Lucius out of the loop. I told her I wouldn't interfere if you wished to tell him."

Draco sighed. "Thanks, Potter."

"No problem. I'll get the Portkey organised. Give me ten minutes, I'll be joining you."

* * *

Harry and Draco arrived in the processing centre of Azkaban with a thud on the hard rock surface, both involuntarily shivering from the sudden drop of temperature. The icy cold sea wind blew through the isolated prison like a punishment of its own. Draco immediately noticed the increased amount of guards on duty in comparison to his last visit to the prison. He and Harry approached the reception desk and handed over their wands as per the standard procedure. They filled in their paperwork, stating their names, professions and reason for their visit, stepped through a stream of Thief's Downfall and as they were wearing no enchantments, both were immediately blasted with a jet of hot air, drying them instantly. Next, they passed through a shield which would reveal if they had any other weapons on their personage and then again when nothing was revealed a guard took them to a small interview room, complete with a table and three chairs all magically sealed to the ground. Draco and Harry took a chair each on one side of the table, leaving the last chair free for Lucius. As the guard escorted the prisoner into the room, he raised both eyebrows. "My, my," he said. "This must be important if my son can be civil with the great Harry Potter," he finished, almost spitting out Harry's name. 

"Do you want some privacy, Malfoy?" Harry addressed Draco.

"Not really, there's nothing to say that you don't already know, Potter." 

Harry wriggled around and adjusted his Auror robes in an effort to show Lucius that he was making himself quite comfortable as Malfoy senior took his seat. After a nod from Harry, the guard left the room and closed the door, but kept himself visible through the small window fixed in it. 

"Hello, father," Draco drawled.

"Draco," he returned in kind, inclining his head. "To what do I owe the rare pleasure?"

"I've come to tell you something that might shock you. Maybe anger you, possibly - but highly unlikely - delight you. Probably humiliate you."

"Well do spit it out, son. The suspense is killing me."

"I am not your first-born child. You have a daughter, her name is Andreya."

"That _is_ delightful," Lucius' eyes lit up. "Tell me, from which witch do I have the pleasure to claim her from?"

Draco's first impulse was to jump over the table and slug his father in the face. Just how many damn women had he slept with prior to his mother? But then he reigned in his temper, knowing that Lucius did not have the upper hand as he was so fond of. He sat back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest, a look of superiority on his face. "No, father. She was not born to a witch. She was born to a muggle in a small French town. Ringing any bells?"

As the colour drained from Lucius' face, Draco leaned forward and rested his arms on his legs, hand clasped in front of him, ready to deliver the final blow. "And, she is a Squib," he delivered calmly. 

"Lies," Lucius hissed as he pushed up from his chair. "You are lying to me, Draco!"

"He's not," Harry told him calmly, not in the least intimidated by the pacing man. "I have her in my custody at the Ministry."

Lucius stopped pacing and narrowed his eyes at Harry. He retook his seat, flipped his long blonde hair over his shoulder and said: "why?"

"She has a plan in place to extract you from this place," Draco supplied. "Naturally the moment I learned of this, I informed my good friend Potter. We couldn't possibly allow her to attempt such a futile plan and for such a devastatingly small bounty." He smirked.

His father sneered at him. "How could a Squib break me out of here? What proof is there that she is a child of mine?"

"She put together a team in France," Harry said. "But don't worry Mr Malfoy, we have foiled her attempt."

"There is proof," Draco smirked. "Mother knows all about her. Has done since before she was born. Plus, she unclasped the canary diamond betrothal necklace."

Lucius sucked in a sharp breath of air. "And who was wearing it when she unclasped it?"

"I think we're done here, Potter. Do you have anything you need to add?"

"No, I think that about covers it." 

Both men stood and walked to the door, knocking twice to let the guard know they were ready to leave. 

"Draco, please." Lucius all but begged. "Tell me the name of the witch who will be your wife."

Harry was already out of the door when Draco turned back to deliver one last blow. "Hermione Granger," he said with a grin.

When the door had closed behind him, he looked back through the window to see his father staring back at him, open-mouthed. Draco practically skipped to catch up with Harry. 

"Did you just tell your father that you're engaged to Hermione? She is going to be pissed," Harry told him.

"No, she won't," Draco replied. "I said no such thing. I told him about the necklace, which as you know, she _was_ pissed about. Then I told him that she is the witch I will marry. I didn't lie, he just has to work with the information he has."

Harry whistled under his breath. "That's a bold move, Malfoy. How can you be sure it's not a lie?"

The look Draco gave Harry was the same one he reserved for Crabbe or Goyle after they had asked something particularly stupid.

"Hermione is the only woman whom I will ask to be my wife. There is no one else out there for me and I wouldn't want anyone else. If she was to turn me down, then that would be it for me."

Harry was distinctly impressed with this answer and stopped walking towards the exit. Draco skidded to a halt a second later to see Harry with his hand outstretched. Draco took it in his and as the wizards shook, a truce was formed. "You make her happy," Harry told him. "Keep doing that and we won't have a problem," Harry gripped Draco's hand just a little harder than necessary.

To his credit, he didn't flinch at the increase of pressure on his hand. "Then maybe one day we will be friends, Potter. Just maybe," he said with a smirk.

* * *

When they arrived back in Harry's office, there were several paper planes buzzing through the air. Harry snatched the first one that passed by him and after reading it, turned back to Draco. "She's awake. Wait here, I'll go and get her."

Harry had been gone for ten minutes and Draco was starting to get antsy. He had been sitting down, then he stood up and paced, then he looked at all of Potter's pictures, awards and certificates. He sat back down and crossed his leg over his knee, trying not to bounce it nervously. When Harry came back to his office what felt like a lifetime later, Draco stood hastily from his seat as if he'd been doing something wrong. Harry quirked an eyebrow at him as he showed Andy in.

"Didn't expect to see you here," Andy told him. 

"I could leave if you prefer? I just wanted to check-in and make sure that you're ok."

"Ok? I've been arrested for God's sake! Betrayed by my so-called friend and the worst excuse for a brother I've ever met."

"Gonna jump in here at all, Potter?"

"Nope," was Harry's amused reply.

Draco sighed. "I have no experience in being a brother, but I'm pretty sure that preventing your siblings from breaking the law and getting caught, is a pretty brotherly thing to do."

Andy continued to look unconvinced. "Look," he said. "I've just been to Azkaban. You'd be mad to try and break in there, let alone escape with a prisoner. And honestly, our father is not worth all of this. You should just meet him and see for yourself how unworthy he is of you."

"I- I can do that?" She looked at Harry. "Meet my father?"

"Sure you can," Harry told her. "You haven't technically done anything wrong. Planning a prison break and executing it are two different things. We could argue over intent, but if you work with me, tell me your plans and give me the names of those you hired, how you came into contact with them," he waved his hands in the air. "Etcetera, we could arrange a trip to Azkaban for you. We would have to make a magically binding contract that you will never attempt something like this again. But like Draco says, once you meet him, I'm not sure you'll ever want to try to free him. He is where he is for a reason, Andy."

Andy took a seat and pulled it up to Harry's desk. "Ok, fine. I'll tell you everything. Honestly, I'm feeling a bit stupid right now. Let's just get this over with."

"Great," Harry said, also pulling his chair up to his desk and extracting a quill, parchment and inkpot from his desk drawer. "Are you satisfied with the level of care we are providing your sister with, Malfoy?"

Draco sniffed once. "Yes, she looks perfectly intact. Thank you, Potter. I guess I'll just get on with my day."

"Great," said Harry in clear dismissal.

* * *

  
That evening, Hermione apparated home feeling simultaneously spent and invigorated. Her first day in the DMLE had gone wonderfully. She got acquainted with her colleagues and had been assigned to a Senior Wizengamot member to learn from. She had been shown various cases and asked to hit the books in order to find the most suitable legal responses. In time, she knew she would be able to add new Acts to the book of law and have some of the more outdated ones abolished. She was thoroughly excited for her new journey. 

An owl was pecking eagerly at the kitchen window and Hermione moved to let it in. Summoning the owl treats from her bedroom as she did so. She offered the owl a treat and plucked the scroll from its claws. 

_'Meet me at our spot in Hyde Park, DM'_

Curious and romantic, Hermione thought. She showered quickly and dressed warmly as she watched the snow fall gracefully outside. She pulled her gloves on and disapparated to the nearest apparition point to Hyde Park and made the rest of the way on foot. As she approached the spot by the water that they had first kissed, she spotted Draco hanging over the railing. He turned and saw her, curls flying wildly in the wind with a flurry of snowflakes caught up in them. His face lit up with a grin as she turned her walk into a run and jumped into his arms, kissing him silly. 

They broke apart, sucking in greedy lungfuls of air. 

"How was your day?" He asked her.

"Wonderful," she told him. "I think I am exactly where I need to be."

He pulled her closer. "I couldn't agree more," he smirked. She punched him lightly on the shoulder. He took her gloved hand and kissed it as they began a brisk walk towards some presumably expensive restaurant. 

"How was your day?" She asked him.

"Pretty perfect," he told her. "Potter filled you in on the Andy situation? That she is fine and that she is cooperating fully?" At her nod of admission, he continued on. "I saw my father and told him about Andy. He was horrified by the idea of his offspring having no magic and speechless when I told him about you."

"I- you. You told him what exactly about me?"

"That you will be the witch that I marry!"

"Draco - "

"Don't worry, I didn't tell him anything about when. I let him draw his own conclusions on that one," he said with another trademark smirk.

"Good, because you know it's too soon to be talking about marriage. You know I love you, but I don't think we should be getting engaged so soon after announcing that we are not, in actual fact, engaged, to the entire wizarding world."

With one hand firmly intertwined with hers, Draco fingered the diamond ring sitting deep in the pocket of his coat with the other. "I agree, completely," he told her as he opened the door to a small Indian restaurant, ushering her in.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise at his choice.

"What?" He asked. "I'm thinking of buying it and turning it into a chain," he said with a shrug.

"How romantic," she said with a roll of her eyes and a smile on her face. 

As they were seated, Draco feigned interest in the wine menu. "Just out of curiousity," he said casually, flipping the page. 

"Hmm?" Hermione looked up from the menu. 

"How long exactly do you think we should wait to make an annoucement?" He looked up to see her eyes twinkling and a grin threatening to break free.

"Ask me in a year," she told him with a wink.

So he did. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank the Lord this fic is done! You won't know it from reading it here, but I started this fic when I was just a few weeks pregnant back in 2018.... My daughter is now 14 months old! 
> 
> The longest 14 chapters of my life and to think - I thought it would be a breeze! 
> 
> During this time (just shy of 2 years) I also popped out what should have been a one - shot which turned into a four part series. You can find it in my works - Promiscuis Polyjuice Party. It is fun, dramatic and way more sexy than this story. 
> 
> I have also drafted the first four or five chapters for my newest Dramione fic which is yet to be named but will be a song fic (don't judge me yet) WITH A DIFFERENCE! I promise not to give you long blocks of lyrics, I promise that all songs will be properly referenced and I promise to keep it full of fun and/or teenage angst. It will be an eighth year fic and accompanied by a Spotify playlist should you wish to hear and feel the songs inspiring each chapter. Subscribing is the easiest way to be notified of when I get this latest one up and running.
> 
> As always I love to hear from you with your thoughts and opinions. Please comment away and hit that kudos button if you so wish!


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